I Love You, Bye
by reachfortheschuyler
Summary: This was not how the night was supposed to go. A loose tongue leads to a terrible accident and now Regina's left wondering if all happy endings are doomed to end in pain. Rated M for language. Outlaw Queen. Hood-Mills-Charming Family.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This takes place sometime in the future after the events of season 5. No baby, but other events involving Zelena happened. None of the characters are mine.

* * *

This was not how the night was supposed to go. Not in the least bit. Regina hadn't even entertained the thought when Snow had offered to take the boys for the night, insisting she didn't mind if it meant Regina and Robin could have the night off, a night to relax. And that's what they had planned- a quiet night in, just the two of them where they could enjoy each other and not worry about anything but who gets to be on top.

That is not what happened.

She supposes she starts it, coming home irritated and edgy thanks to dealing with the repercussions of closing the portal to the Underworld, an unexpected visit from Gold, and a migraine she can feel brewing behind her right eye. But normally Robin isn't affected by her bad moods. Normally he's the calming voice, the one soothing and reassuring, or giving her space and an ear when she's ready to talk. Normally.

But he had a rough day too, apparently, and he is in a bad mood himself, such a rare occasion she finds she doesn't know how to navigate his ire. And his sharp edges have grated against her own and she hadn't _meant_ to slam the pantry door, but slam it does and it has Robin whipping around from the sink, demanding just what her goddamn problem is.

It catches her off-guard, especially since they had barely exchanged greetings when she came into the kitchen, but does he really want to go there? Because she is raw and angry and she will fucking go there if that's what he wants. Bring it the fuck on.

"What did you just say to me?" she snaps, eyes narrowing.

"I asked what your goddamn problem is since you might as well tell me instead of stomping around here like a petulant child," he snips, head quirking in a way that makes her feel as if he's mocking her.

"What the hell did you just call me?" she nearly shouts, almost amazed at how quickly her own anger sparked.

"I called you a child because you always behave like a bloody child when you're pissed off and I'm always the parent that has to make everything better," he counters, palms flattening against the granite of the island countertop.

Oh he did fucking _not._ "You asshole," she seethes. "You think I fucking need you to fix my problems for me?"

"I know you do."

She scoffs. "Well, that's fucking hilarious considering _you_ are one of my biggest problems," she accuses and oh, that one stings, that one hits the mark dead center, she can see it in his eyes.

His lips curl in fury, ears turning bright red. "I could say the same bloody thing about you," he counters and she feels that one deep down somewhere, a place currently stifled by her growing anger.

"Oh, come off it. You're still just pissed off about Daniel," she jabs. Not that he had been jealous exactly when Daniel had made his return from the Underworld, but he had grown touchy, more possessive than usual but not really controlling. If she had been calmer, had her head about her, she would have felt bad about picking this particular bone, but she knew it would get one hell of a reaction out of him.

"And you're still just pissed off about Marian," he snaps and oh, he's going to bring _that_ into this?

"I was _never_ pissed off about Marian," she defends, remembering the time Robin's wife actually came back from the dead with the rest of the Underworld. "The _real_ Marian, at least. Sure you can tell the difference?" She should not be going here, the rational part of her mind thinks. Abort mission, abort mission, abort-

"Sure you can tell it's Daniel without his heart in his chest?" he shoots and fuck him. Fuck him, fuck them, fuck every fucking thing that has swirled around them the last few weeks. He brought out the big guns? She's bringing out the goddamn tanks.

"At least I'd be able to tell it's Zelena's cunt on my dick."

She regrets the words as soon as they come out of her mouth. _Regina, you fucking asshole,_ the rational part of her mind screams as Robin's face goes blank, her words taking a few moments to register. When they do, the rage is gone from his face and only hurt and shock are left. He looks at her, pain in his eyes, and she is a fucking asshole, isn't she? He turns and walks out of the kitchen and panic starts to bubble up inside her.

"Robin," she says wearily, apologetically. She goes after him, hearing the front closet open and close and when she comes into the foyer, he's shrugging on his coat and opening the front door. It's raining, but he doesn't care apparently because he goes outside, ignoring a second call of his name and slamming the door behind him.

"Robin," she whispers, plunking down on the one step in the foyer, feeling incredibly exhausted. _Why_ had she said that? Why had they been fighting about that at all? Daniel and Marian (well, the real Marian) had never been points of contention between them before but suddenly they seemed so important and then she went and threw his sexual assault in his face. God, she is _such_ an asshole.

She wants him to come back, needs him to come back so she can beg forgiveness, promise she didn't mean it because she _didn't_. She looks over at the clock. It was six-thirty when he left. It's going on nine before she leaves the step.

* * *

 _Robin, it's me. I'm sorry. I didn't mean any of it, I promise. Please come home so we can talk about it. I made dinner. It'll be on the table when you get back. Please come back. Okay, I love you, bye._

 _Robin, call me, please. It's getting late and I don't want to go to bed before we talk about this. Please call me. I love you, bye._

 _Robin, I understand if you don't want to come back tonight, but call me please. It's late and I'm getting worried. I just need to make sure you're okay. Call me. I love you, bye._

 _Hey, Will. It's Regina._

 _Hey, your Majesty. What's up?_

 _Have you seen Robin?_

 _Recently?_

 _Tonight._

 _Oh, tonight? No, I haven't seen him since… I think Thursday._

 _Oh. Okay. Thanks._

 _Everything alright?_

 _Just, call me if you hear from him, okay?_

 _Yeah, sure thing._

 _Thanks. Good night._

 _G'night._

 _Robin, call me. Please… I love you… bye._

* * *

It's one-thirty and he still hasn't called. Will hasn't either. Regina's sitting on the couch, phone in her hands, staring at the screen. Waiting for it to light up with Robin's smile, the picture she had taken of him one morning when Roland had tried to make them breakfast. It had been a disaster (broken eggs everywhere, a burnt out toaster, milk sloshed across the counter and dripping down the cupboards), but an adorable disaster at that and Robin had been chuckling through the whole ordeal. She had taken the picture of him laughing as a joke, telling him she'd use it as proof later when he was grumbling about having to scrub the kitchen from floor to ceiling ("Because milk _stinks_ when it dries, Robin." "Love, I'm pretty sure he didn't get milk on _top_ of the refrigerator.").

The story had always made her smile before. Now it stings her heart and pricks at her eyes. She's gone and fucked everything up with her stupid temper and loose tongue. He won't even _call_ her. She deserves this, she supposes, for being so careless with her words and so easy with her acid. She deserves his anger, but can't he just let her know he's okay so she can stop worrying and maybe get some sleep (not going to happen, not after a fight like that)?

After leaving the step in the foyer, she had made dinner (old-fashioned meat pies, one of Robin's favorites from his youth) and had waited for him to come home so they could maybe eat together, but after an hour, hunger got the best of her and she dined alone. She had waited in the living room then, sitting in silence and replaying their fight over and over again in her mind. Torture, really, but penance she supposes for her sins committed that evening. Robin, wherever he was, most likely was doing the same thing. She started to doze then, and she didn't want to fall asleep before he came back, before they had a chance to talk, so she had taken a shower to wake herself up. She had stayed in there for what felt like hours but had really only been forty minutes when she checked the clock afterward.

And so now here she was. Fed, showered, and in her pajamas sitting on the couch waiting for her soulmate to come back to her in the middle of the night. She hopes he's coming back tonight because if he waits until tomorrow, the boys- or Henry at least- are going to know something is up and that is the last thing she wants.

She fiddles with her phone, presses the power button to light up the screen in a futile hope that maybe she just missed his call when she was staring at the screen. Maybe she should call Will again. Or the pirate. He and Robin have become good friends as of late, but if he went to Hook then Emma more than likely would have known something was amiss and she would have called Regina to find out what. Same thing for David. Snow would have called whenever she had a free minute from the boys to snoop and prod and try to fix things.

Maybe she should call Snow anyway. She needs a good vent and Snow would be more than happy to listen to all the messy details of her love life. But then she remembers it's going on two in the morning and the Charming household is probably all tucked in for the night.

She closes her eyes for a long moment before unlocking her phone and typing Robin's number into the dialpad. Her thumb is hovering over the call button when there's a knock on the door. She jumps in surprise and nearly drops her phone in the process. That… can't be Robin. He has a key, for goodness sake, but maybe he had forgotten to grab his keys on his way out? Hopefully that's the case, otherwise there's a stranger knocking on her door at almost two in the morning.

She stands, pulling her robe tightly around herself and hurries to the door. She should be more nervous, she thinks, because if Robin _is_ on the other side of the door then they're going to have to talk about what happened and that's going to be awful. But if it's not Robin, then that means he's still somewhere that is not here, that is not safe with her and that might be even more awful than having to talk out their problems.

She stands on her tiptoes, and peeks through the eyehole. "What the hell?" she breathes as she yanks open the door to find David standing on her front porch, looking thoroughly soaked by the rain. "David? What are you doing here?" she asks, crossing her arms. He doesn't look good, she realizes and thinks maybe he and Snow had a fight just like Robin and she did.

"Regina, I… something's happened," he explains, voice cautious.

"What do you mean?" she asks, trying to keep her simmering panic from entering her voice. Robin isn't back yet.

"I got a call from Robin earlier. He had been walking down Old Creek Road when one of the nuns swerved and t-boned a tree," David clarifies. "Robin called me to let me know and then he tried to help Sister Astrid get out of the wreck."

With every word, dread creeps higher and higher up Regina's spine.

"But it was dark and raining and that road has a lot of sharp curves and… there was another car that came around the bend and I guess the driver didn't see-"

"David," Regina interrupts, voice shaking with her nerves. She knows what's coming, she can feel it, but there's a sliver of her that is desperately holding onto the possibility that she's wrong. "What happened? Tell me."

He exhales, shoulders deflating. "The second car… it struck Robin. Crushed him up against the first wreck. He's at the hospital right now."

Regina swallows, amazed that her mouth hasn't gone bone dry yet. She can feel her legs going numb, should probably hold onto something so she doesn't collapse right here, but she can't focus on that. She can barely focus on the words that just came out of David's mouth because of the ringing in her ears. Her worst fears can't be materializing. They can't be.

"How… how bad?" she manages to ask, hardly recognizing her own voice. It's never shaken like that before.

David takes a deep breath. "Life support."

"Oh," is all she can say.

She definitely should have held onto something because she does collapse then, her legs buckling from numbness and David catches her, arms around her torso. He slowly stands straight again, pulling her up with him. "I'm so sorry," he murmurs, slowly stepping back until just his hands are left supporting her.

She nods, feeling a dizziness spinning around her head. A thought strikes her then: Robin was walking down that road because of her, because she said those terrible things. He's dying because of her. Oh jeez, she's going to collapse again.

"They said you should probably get to the hospital quickly," David adds. "While he's still… while there's still time."

Oh god. Okay. Get to the hospital. She can do that, she can go there at least, she just needs… she's in her pajamas, she needs clothes or shoes at least, and she needs her keys and her bag and good lord, Roland and Henry, she needs to get them, tell them what's happened, be strong for them, but she needs to get to the hospital first, she needs shoes, and keys, and-

"Regina," David says softly, squeezing her biceps lightly, interrupting her spiraling thoughts. She looks at him then, snapping her back to the present moment. "I'll drive you. Get some shoes and whatever else you need. I'll be in the car, okay?"

"Yeah… okay," she breathes, nodding as she turns. Climbing the stairs is easier than she thought it would be, but she needs to hold onto the banister tighter than usual. She hurries into their room, shucking her pajama bottoms for jeans in the laundry basket on the floor full of clothes still needing to be folded. There are some of her shirts in there too, but she doesn't want any of them. She crosses to Robin's dresser and opens the bottom drawer. There. That's what she wants- one of his sweatshirts, a navy blue one that's soft and worn and smells so wonderfully like him when she tugs it on. If he leaves her tonight, she'll wear every shirt he owns until his scent fades from all of them.

But he won't leave her tonight, he's not going to leave her tonight she tells herself as she shuts the bedroom door and hurries down the stairs. She grabs her keys, her wallet, slips shoes on and turns off the lights. It's still raining when she steps outside, closing and locking the front door behind her. Of course it would be raining the night her life falls apart, she thinks as she gets into David's awaiting squad car.

He's sitting quietly, the hum of the engine and the beating of the rain on the windshield the only sounds inside in the vehicle. He looks over at her as she gets in and if he recognizes Robin's sweatshirt, he doesn't comment. "Ready?" he asks, hand moving to the gearshift.

She exhales and shakes her head. "No. But we better get there anyway," she answers honestly and he accepts that response with a nod. As he pulls out of the driveway, Regina looks at the front door and wonders if Robin will ever walk through it again.

They drive in silence for awhile, the skid of the windshield wipers interrupting the quiet every now and then. Normally, Regina would enjoy any silence she could find in the company of a Charming, but the quiet tonight is unsettling.

"Did Sister Astrid make it?" she asks, as if the survival of someone she barely knows could make any of this better. But it would, she knows, because it would matter to Robin. If he died but someone else got to live, he'd think his sacrifice worthwhile. Why doesn't she have his same sense of heroism?

"She did," David confirms with a nod. "Robin pulled her from her own wreck just before the other car came around the bend."

"And she didn't see the other car coming? To tell him to get out of the way?" Regina inquires, unable to keep the bite from her tone.

"You know that road, Regina," David replies. "Those curves are almost hairpins. And it was dark _and_ it was raining. I'm sure if Sister Astrid had seen the car, she would've done something."

She sighs, suppressing the brief flare of anger that welled up and rests her head against the window. "He wasn't supposed to be there," she admits quietly, causing David to glance over at her.

He clears his throat. "I… I kinda figured that out. We recovered his phone at the scene and from your messages, I gathered something happened between the two of you."

… tell the difference… without his heart in his chest… Zelena…

"You could say that," she murmurs, wrapping her arms around herself. He remains silent and she takes a minute to decide whether or not she wants to elaborate. "I… started it, I guess. I was being a bitch and he was getting frustrated and things just kind of… escalated."

"He leave on his own or did you tell him to?"

She rubs her eyes, feeling the ghost of exhaustion pulling at her. "He left. Not that I blame him. I would have left, too."

David hums his understanding, but falls silent after that. She lets the quiet linger for a few minutes before giving in to something that's been nagging her for awhile. "Who… who was driving the car? The one that hit him."

She hears David suck in a breath as he turns into the hospital parking lot. "We don't know."

"You don't know? What do you mean you don't know?" she snaps. What kind of lousy sheriff department are the taxpayers supporting if they can't even figure out who-

"It was a hit and run," David interrupts her angry internal tirade.

Well then. That just makes everything peachy, doesn't it? She sucks in a shaky breath and closes her eyes for a second. "If he… if Robin doesn't make it," she begins, summoning every ounce of strength she can muster, "Promise me you will not stop until you find whoever did this to him."

"I will find the asshole, regardless of whether or not Robin pulls through," David swears, reaching over and taking her hand. At the contact, she looks over at him. "I know this is the last thing you want to hear, but I think having some hope would do wonders for you right now."

She licks her lips and nods, unable to hold his gaze for too long. He's too earnest, too empathetic for her fragile state. She offers a small smile and reaches for the car door handle. "I guess it's time to face the music, hmm?" she sighs, stepping out into the pouring rain.

David follows her through parking lot and into the waiting room, tossing the receptionist a nod as they pass before leading her down several hallways. He slows when they near a room with a long glass window and Regina can't hide her surprise at seeing Emma leaning against it. The blonde turns at the sound of their footsteps and pushes off from the wall.

"Any luck?" David asks his daughter as they come to a stop still a good distance from both the door and the window.

Emma shakes her head. "Astrid can barely remember what day it is let alone what color the car was," she sighs. "Seems the whole thing's gotten her pretty shaken." She looks at Regina. "I'm sure this isn't how you thought your night would go."

"You can say that again," Regina agrees, not trusting herself to chance a peek through the window behind Emma. "Shouldn't one of you be out… doing whatever you're supposed to do to solve a case like this?"

"I had been, but the hospital said they needed someone here authorized to make… certain decisions and I wasn't sure if you'd get here… in time," Emma struggles to explain and Regina feels annoyance flair up somewhere inside her. She knows what Emma means, that if the time came to stop trying to keep Robin alive, someone would have to be here to authorize that. Regina supposes that's her job now, but for goodness sakes she's not a child. She realizes the reality of the situation, they don't need to coddle her. Robin wouldn't coddle her, she thinks. He'd be gentle, he'd use his soothing voice to calm her, but he would never shield her from what was really going on. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wonders if she'll ever hear his voice again.

"Well, I'm here now so you can get back to doing your job," Regina informs Emma curtly, making a move to sidestep the blonde.

David grabs her bicep. "Regina, just… before you go in there, just know that he looks different."

She exhales and runs her tongue along the inside her of bottom lip. "I kind of figured he would," she says shortly, avoiding eye contact from both father and daughter. "Most people don't get crushed by a speeding car and come out untouched."

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees the two sheriffs exchange a glance. "I just wanted to warn you," David sighs, his voice still possessing too much sympathy.

"Well, I've been warned. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to see my boyfriend while he's still alive," she snaps, stepping past both Charmings and taking hold of the door handle. She's about to go in, to face her new reality, but she pauses and turns back toward Emma. "Henry and Roland, are they still with Snow?"

Emma nods. "Should still be sound asleep, too."

Regina licks her lips. "I think… I think they should be here. Just in case."

Emma's eyebrows quirk up. "That's going to be rough. Are you sure?"

No, she's not if she's being honest. She doesn't even know what awaits her on the other side of the door yet and if it's anything like the nightmares she's been picturing for the past twenty minutes, she's not sure she'll be able to handle it. And if Henry and Roland come, she'll need to be strong for them, but who is going to be strong for her? The man who usually occupies that position is currently fighting for his life. But no, the boys should be here. She needs their presence, she realizes. They need to all be together for this.

"Yes, I'm sure," she replies. "If he goes, they should be with him."

Emma nods slowly and looks at her father. "I'll call Mom and have her get them ready to go," she says, pulling her phone from her pocket.

"No, Emma, I think you should be the one to tell them," Regina counters, receiving a confused look in response. "Henry's going to need someone and I don't know if I'll be able to be strong for him." She takes a slow breath. "You're going to have to be strong for both of us."

"And Roland?" David adds, hands on his hips.

"He's barely five. He's not going to realize the gravity of the situation," Regina explains. "To him, his father's just going to be taking a long nap. Henry, though, he'll know. He'll know what's really going on."

"How much should I tell them?" Emma asks.

"As much as you think you need to," Regina sighs, realizing she _still_ hasn't seen Robin yet. She glances back at the door. "Look, I trust your judgement. Just get them here, okay?"

Emma nods slowly and half-smiles. "I'll do my best."

Regina nods once in reply and turns back toward the door, opening it without preamble. Rip the band-aid off, she thinks, stepping inside and letting the door fall closed behind her with a soft click. Alone at last. Or, at least, away from any sympathy and pity. She closes her eyes, takes a steadying breath, and then opens them, looking at her soulmate for the first time in hours.

She can barely see his face from the bandages wrapped around his forehead and the tubes criss-crossing his nose and mouth, but she knows it's him. Would've known even if David hadn't brought her to the room and told her what had happened. On the parts of his face she can see, there are cuts and bruises. His eyes are closed, but they look swollen and bruised. A brace surrounds his neck and she can see more bandages wrapped around his bicep peeking out from underneath his hospital gown. Several of his fingers are either taped together or splinted in a metal casing. Both his wrists are wrapped in something that doesn't look quite like gauze but seems thinner than a cast. He's covered from stomach to toes with a blanket, hiding countless more injuries Regina's sure. An IV drips into his left forearm. Machines stand on either side of the bed, making beeping and whirring noises, the heart monitor proving he's still alive and the ventilator reminding that might not be true for much longer.

She's not sure how she's able to walk over to the bed, but somehow her legs carry her and she's by his side. A shaking hand reaches out and gently touches his cheek, fingers running over his stubble but getting stopped by the breathing tubes keeping him alive. She exhales, letting out every ounce of air left in her lungs and not stopping the tears she's been fighting all night from spilling down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she whispers, leaning down to touch her forehead to his. "I'm so sorry." She reaches for his hand and brings it to her cheek. "Don't leave me," she breathes, voice barely audible, her cries nearing the verge of sobs.

This is her fault. He's dying because of her. And how selfish of her to make this about herself when he is dying. Because of her. She deserves this, but he does not.

She's sure there's probably a chair somewhere in the room, but she doesn't bother to look. She gently crawls onto the bed, placing an arm lightly across his chest and resting her head on top of his shoulder. Normally he'd move to wrap his arm around her, but she keeps it between them and reaches down to join their fingers instead. She closes her eyes and listens to the whooshing air being forced into his lungs and the beeping of the monitor assuring his heart still beats.

A nurse will probably come in soon and tell her to move, but for now she'll remain curled against him, breathing in the scent of him still decipherable beneath the smell of the hospital, wrapped in the presence of her soulmate for what could be the last time.


	2. Chapter 2

It's after four that morning before Henry and Roland get there. Regina had been right, a nurse had told her she couldn't lie next to Robin forever and so she had rather reluctantly moved to a chair right next to the bed. She didn't let go of his hand, though. She needed to feel for herself that he was still warm with life.

The only time she had let go of his hand was when there had been a scare just before three o'clock. The beeping on the heart monitor had started to speed up rapidly and then he started convulsing and shaking and twitching and thank goodness there had been a nurse right in the hallway because Regina had nearly started seizing herself from her initial panic. And that's what it had been- a seizure, just something they had to let him go through the nurse had explained.

His heart rate hadn't returned to normal after the seizure ended, though, and so Regina had to leave the room while the nurses and doctor tried to regulate it. Those seven (almost eight) minutes were easily the longest of her life while she waited in the hallway, pacing anxiously until the doctor emerged and said they were able to get him steady again.

Her tears had mostly stopped, mainly because she knew their sons could arrive at any time and she didn't want to be a mess when they got there. Occasionally, though, she'd be struck with some thought that would cause her emotions to surge and tears to spill over again. It would usually be some little thing that would cause her to cry again- remembering that Robin had brought her lunch the day before because she hadn't been able to grab anything in her rush to get out the door on time; the way he always grumbles when her alarm goes off so early in the morning and the way he always, without fail, pulls her tightly against him to prevent her from leaving the bed; the way he affectionately grasps Henry's shoulder when he's proud of him; the way he reads to Roland and uses the goofiest voices for all the characters just to get a giggle out of his son.

David had come in just as one such thought had struck her (Robin's hand in her hair, always in her hair) and so she had to listen with wet eyes as he told her they had reached another dead end in searching for the driver. "Guess I'll just have to rip out the heart of everyone in this town until I find them," she had quipped dryly, only half-kidding. The look on David's face told her he knew she was partially serious as well. He had stated she should sleep and she had countered he should too even though they both knew they wouldn't be sleeping for a long time.

Aside from that visit from David and the occasional check-in from various nurses, she had been mostly undisturbed and grateful for it. At one point she found herself humming and couldn't help but smile when she realized what tune had invaded her mind. It was an old song from back home, one Robin had sung to her on more than one occasion, usually when they're half-asleep and curled against each other. She doesn't remember all the words (something about going to the ends of the earth and back again if it meant finding such a love; she's called Robin a sap multiple times for that), but the melody had evidently stuck with her.

It's 4:13 when Emma knocks and opens the door. She pokes her head through the doorway before stepping into the room fully, keeping her hand on the doorknob. "How is he?" she asks, looking from Regina to Robin.

She shrugs and sighs. "The same, I guess. I'm not really sure. It's hard to tell."

Emma nods. "The boys are here when you're ready for them."

Regina looks over at her at that. "Where are they?"

"The waiting room. I figured you'd want to talk to them before they see him."

Regina takes a breath and nods. "Yeah. How much did you tell them?"

"I told Roland his father got hurt and that he needs his family with him so he can get better," Emma explains with a half-shrug. "He seemed worried but not overly upset. Figured that was a good thing."

Regina nods. "And Henry?"

Emma looks a little sheepish. "You said to tell him everything."

"Yeah, I know," she sighs, hating the fact that she knows her son is going to be stronger than her through all this. "How did he take it?"

"Well, the kid's tough. He handles bad news like a champ, but he was pretty upset when I first told him. Asked about you right away." Emma finally lets go of the doorknob and the door closes with a click. She crosses her arms and takes a moment to study Regina.

"What?" the queen snaps after a few too long moments of silence. Being under scrutiny of the Charmings is apparently her life's burden, she thinks begrudgingly.

"How are you holding up?" Emma asks simply, but her tone makes Regina think there's something more coming.

"What kind of question is that?" she dodges, unwilling to be analyzed at the moment.

"A reasonable one considering the circumstances," Emma retorts. She pauses for a second. "You need sleep."

"No, I need to see my sons," Regina counters sharply, standing up from the chair for the first time since Robin's seizure. She keeps his hand in hers. "And I need Robin to not die while I'm gone. So I'll trust you'll stay here with him and let me know if anything happens. Is that _reasonable,_ Miss Swan?"

Emma narrows her eyes curiously, studying Regina in a way the mayor can't decipher. "Yeah, I'll stay with him," she finally agrees.

"Thank you," Regina replies shortly. She turns back to Robin and leans down to kiss his forehead. "I'll be back soon," she whispers before righting herself and finally letting go of his hand. Emma steps aside as she leaves, watchful eyes never leaving Regina despite the queen's best efforts to ignore it. "Goddamn Charmings," she mutters under her breath as she walks down the hallway toward the waiting room.

Henry is pacing when she gets there, walking back and forth in front of Roland who sits in a chair, head resting on his tiny palm. The littlest Merry Man seems to be rather tired for such an endeavor so early in the morning, but Henry looks wide awake and much too anxious for Regina's liking.

"Hi, sweetheart," she greets and both boys turn toward her.

"Mom," Henry exclaims. He hurries over to her and for whatever reason, his obvious distress over the situation has tears pooling once more in Regina's eyes and she's grateful for his hug, partially so she'll have time to blink them away. "Are you alright? How is he?" Henry asks as he pulls back.

"I'm fine, sweetheart. Just tired," she lies and she knows he knows she's faking it, but she doesn't really have a choice now. Not with Roland only a few feet away.

"And Robin? How is he?"

She swallows. What can she say in front of a five-year-old? "He's pretty banged up," she settles on, sliding her hands down from Henry's shoulders to his elbows. "We're taking it one hour at a time."

He shakes his head. "I can't believe this happened. I'm so sorry, Mom."

She nods and tries a smile. "I'm sorry, too," she manages before pulling him back into another hug. This is _not_ what being the strong one looks like, she thinks, as more tears come to her eyes. But Emma was right- Henry takes bad news like a pro, something he inherits from his grandparents, she's sure. Her eldest will be fine, she realizes. Now to see about her youngest.

She releases Henry with an affectionate cupping of his cheek before moving over to Roland and crouching down in front of him. He had been watching them curiously, a hint of fear at the back of his eyes. "Good morning, my little knight," she says sweetly, running a hand through his curls. "Did you have fun at your sleepover?"

Roland nods, his bottom lip already starting to jut out. "Emma said Papa got hurt," he says in a small voice, brown eyes so incredibly round in his worry. Oh boy, keeping the tears at bay is going to be a herculean task with this one, she thinks.

"Papa did get hurt," Regina confirms, thumb rubbing back and forth across his cheek. "He got hurt pretty badly."

"Is he going to be okay?" Roland asks, his increased worry causing his brow to furrow.

Regina takes a deep breath. "The doctors aren't sure," she explains carefully. "But you know what?"

"What?" he whimpers, tears appearing in his eyes. His bottom lip juts out even further.

" _I'm_ sure he's going to be okay," Regina promises, offering a small smile. "And so is Henry." She glances up at her eldest son who nods in the affirmative.

"Yeah, buddy. Your papa's going to be fine," Henry assures the kindergartner.

"But what if he's not?" Roland cries, voice quivering on the verge of sobs.

Regina blinks a few times to clear her eyes. "He will be, sweetheart. He has to be." She opens her arms and Roland goes into them willingly, wrapping his arms and legs around her torso like a koala. She breathes him in. He still feels soft and fuzzy from sleep. "And you know what we need to do in the meantime?" she asks, hand stroking his unruly curls.

"What?" he whimpers into her shoulder.

She pulls back until she can see his face clearly. "We need to do what Princess Snow always does. You know what that is?"

Roland sniffs as he shakes his head. Regina rubs her thumb across his cheek to clear away tears. "We need to have hope," she whispers, tapping his nose. She kisses his cheek before tucking his head back against her shoulder. "As long as we have hope, nothing's impossible." God, she needs to spend less time with her step-daughter, she thinks as she stands with Roland in her arms.

Henry puts a hand on her shoulder and squeezes. "I have hope, Mom," he assures her with a brave smile. "This can't be how the story ends."

She smiles back before taking a deep breath. She's been away from Robin for too long. "Come on. Let's go see him."

* * *

Emma's standing outside the door when they get there and Regina frowns. "I thought I told you to stay with him," she gripes, transitioning Roland in her arms so he rests on her hip.

Emma shifts uncomfortably. She looks fidgety all of a sudden and Regina gets the impression that something is wrong. "I did stay with him. For awhile," Emma claims vaguely, eyes jumping all over the place.

Regina studies her face for a moment before turning to Roland, tapping his shoulder until he peeks up from where his head had been resting against her neck. "I'm going to put you down for a second, okay?" she murmurs and Roland nods, little fists rubbing his eyes. She sets him down and then pulls Emma by the elbow away from the boys. "What's the matter?" she whispers, crossing her arms to keep her hands from shaking. Dread is starting bubble up in her stomach again.

"I… I noticed something when I was in the room," Emma begins.

"You should put 'being vague' as a special skill on your resumè, Miss Swan," Regina hisses. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Emma shakes her head, expression morphing into something that resembles disbelief. "I can't believe you didn't feel it."

"Didn't feel _what?"_ Regina snaps, voice getting louder than she intended. She glances behind Emma to the boys and is slightly relieved to find Henry distracting Roland by telling him some type of story or other.

"The magic in the room," Emma finally explains and Regina's eyebrows fly upward. There had been no goddamn magic anywhere in that room and she most certainly would have known it if there was. Emma has to be delirious. Lack of sleep, probably.

"There was no magic in the room," Regina insists, voice lowering back to a quieter level.

"Yes, Regina, there was," Emma asserts firmly. "I didn't notice it at first, but when I did, it was so strong I couldn't stand to be in the room any longer."

Regina takes a steadying breath. How long has it been since she was last in the room? Is no one in there with Robin right now? What if he's waking up? She couldn't stand it if he woke up alone…

"Miss Swan, I suggest you get some sleep before you start seeing purple elephants dancing around the room," she sighs.

Emma rolls her eyes. "Fine. Don't believe me. But I'm looking into this. It could be the answers we need to find who did this."

"Do whatever you want. Just make sure there's someone actually working a _reasonable_ lead." Regina gives her one final pointed look before stepping around her and drawing the attention of her sons. "Ready?" she asks, holding out a hand toward Roland. His little fingers grasp hers and she gives them a squeeze. She looks up at Henry who gives her a nod.

She's about to open the door, but then she stops and bends down so she's eye-to-eye with Roland once more. "Now, Papa's going to look a little funny, okay? He has a lot of tubes around his face and some wires, but it's still Papa. You don't have to be afraid, okay?" she asks and Roland nods, curls bouncing with his movements.

She kisses his cheek and then stands, opening the door and leading their sons inside. _Magic, my ass,_ she thinks, not feeling anything even remotely magical in the air. Emma must have really been delirious.

She hears Henry suck in a breath when he sees Robin and she reaches out to squeeze his shoulder. He and Robin have gotten close over the past few months and while she knows no one could ever replace Neal, it warms her heart that her son has found someone who might come close to filling those shoes. She hopes he doesn't have to lose another father figure.

"Wow, he's… I didn't think it'd be that bad," Henry murmurs, stepping tentatively toward the bed.

Regina feels a tugging on her hand and she looks down to see Roland peering up at her, brown eyes wide with worry. "What's that noise?" he asks quietly.

She's about to ask what he's talking about, but then she realizes. "That's something called a heart monitor," she explains. "The beeping lets the doctor know that Papa's heart is still beating like it should."

"Oh," comes the small reply and then Roland's letting go of her hand and walking slowly towards his father, fingers fidgeting near his mouth. He stops when he's near Robin's head and stands on his tiptoes, reaching out cautiously to touch his arm. "Papa?" he whispers. He looks back toward Regina when his father remains silent.

"I don't know if he can hear you, sweetheart," she says sympathetically. "But I've been talking to him, so you're more than willing to try."

Roland nods and turns back to his father. "Papa, Regina says you might not be able to hear me, but that's okay. I'm going to talk to you anyway."

Regina has to smile at that, the innocence of children.

"The doctors don't know if you're going to get better," Roland continues. "But Regina says she knows you're going to get better. And when Regina says something, you always listen to her so I know you'll be okay."

Henry laughs at that and Roland sends a dimple-filled smile her way. She laughs in turn despite the pressure she feels building behind her eyes at the sight of Roland talking to his father.

"And Papa, I really _really_ want you to get better," he pleads, turning back to Robin. "Because we're all going to be really sad if you don't. Me and Henry and Regina and all my uncles and Belle and Emma and everyone. So, get better. As soon as you can, okay?"

Regina swallows, throat feeling incredibly thick, and she takes a deep breath. "That was very sweet, Roland," she praises, going over to stand next to the boy. "Do you want to sit on the bed? You have to be very careful not to jostle Papa if you do."

To her surprise, Roland shakes his head. "No, that's okay. Can I sit on your lap instead?" he asks, peering up at her.

"Of course, you can," she replies, smiling sympathetically as she sits down in the chair by Robin's bed again. She pats her lap and Roland crawls up, curling himself against her chest. She looks up at Henry. "There should be another chair in the hall if you want to sit."

Henry nods. "Actually, if it's alright, I think I'm going to take a walk. I need… just, yeah. I'm going to take a walk. I'll be back in a bit."

Regina forces a smile to her lips. She would much rather prefer she have both her sons with her, but she knows Henry needs a bit of space when he gets upset. He takes after her in that regard. "Sure, sweetheart. Just don't leave the hospital, okay?" She knows it's a ridiculous thought, but she can't help but think he could end up like Robin if he leaves without her.

"Yeah, I'll just be around," he assures absently and then he's gone, the door closing quietly in his wake.

Regina sighs and presses a kiss to Roland's head. There's nothing really left for her to do, she supposes. Except wait. Wait for Robin to wake up, for Emma or David to find something, for her life to piece itself back together. She wishes she was more patient.

"Regina?" Roland says quietly after a few minutes, his voice sounding sleepy and lax.

"Yes, baby?" she hums, hand stroking up and down his arm.

"I want to go to sleep," he admits almost shamefully.

"You can go to sleep, sweetheart. I'm sure you're tired," Regina says soothingly.

"But… if I go to sleep, how will I know when Papa wakes up?"

"Well, I will be sure to wake you up first thing when he does," she promises, wrapping both arms around the little boy snugly.

"Promise?" And then she sees a tiny hand raised, pinky sticking out.

She chuckles, recognizing the gesture Henry had taught him, and hooks her pinky around his. "Promise." She hears Roland's breathing go deep and steady not five minutes later.

* * *

It's around 7:30 when Snow drops by, a blessedly large black coffee in her hands. She knocks first and Regina jumps in surprise. It had been so quiet the last hour or so, save for Roland's soft sighs and deep breathes and Henry's occasional snoring. Roland has been passed out on her lap since he first fell asleep and Henry conked out soon after he came back from his walk, chair in tow. Sleep's evaded Regina, however. There have been moments that exhaustion has crept through her veins, but then she remembers her promise to Roland and also to herself. She will be here and awake when Robin comes to. She owes him that, at least.

But considering she hasn't slept in over twenty-four hours, she is rather grateful when Snow enters the room with caffeine in hand. Her step-daughter takes one look at Robin and, being the ever subtle sunflower that she is, gasps a tad over dramatically in Regina's opinion. "Oh, _Regina,"_ she breathes, hand over her mouth. "I'm _so sorry."_

Regina offers an unenthusiastic half-smile. "Yeah, well, he's still breathing, I suppose," she supplies dryly, adjusting her hold around Roland. Her legs have long past fallen asleep from his weight, but she can't bring herself to move him. She needs him close, Henry too.

"I just… I didn't think it'd be so bad," Snow explains, stepping closer. "When Emma told me, I thought she was overexagerrating."

"Unfortunately not," Regina sighs, bending her neck to one side until it cracks. She eyes the coffee in Snow's hand. "I don't suppose that's for me?"

Snow glances down at the coffee and startles as she remembers it. "Oh! Yes, it is. The coffee in the cafeteria here is terrible. I thought you might like something a little stronger," she explains, handing over the cup.

"It's times like these that I'm really glad you survived our feud," Regina quips, graciously accepting Snow's caffeinated offering. She takes a sip and it is bitter, warm, and wonderful. Just what she needed. _Brownie points for Snow,_ she thinks as she takes another gulp.

Her step-daughter looks over at Henry sitting on the other side of the bed and smiles. "I'm not surprised they fell asleep. They'd been in bed only a few hours when Emma called." She looks back at Regina. "Have you slept at all?"

Regina takes another gulp of coffee to resist snapping a response. It's not that she doesn't appreciate the concern, but having every single member of the Charming family asking her if she's alright or telling her she needs to sleep or that she should have hope is wearing away her fragile-as-it-is nerves. Snow means well, she really does, but coddling is not what Regina needs right now.

"I've dozed here and there," she finally replies, thumbing the cup sleeve absently. "I just… don't want to fall asleep in case something happens. Whether that be a good something or a bad something."

"I could stay with him if you want to go home and get some shut eye," Snow offers. "Or shower or change or whatever."

Regina manages a smile. "Don't you have a baby to worry about?"

"Neal's at home with David."

Eyebrows going flying upward at that. "What do you mean David's at home?" she demands. "He's supposed to be working this case so I know who to murder for attempting to murder Robin."

"He's sleeping, Regina," Snow explains, seeming a little put-off by the accusation that her husband is not doing his job correctly. "He barely slept at all before everything happened. You can't expect him to be able to work when he's exhausted."

Regina closes her eyes for a moment, her eyelids seeming to burn at the fake promise of rest. "I know," she sighs. "I just… I need answers. And I feel so _useless_ just sitting here waiting for something to happen."

Snow smiles sympathetically and touches Regina's shoulder. "I know. Trust me, I do. But sometimes there are things we just can't fix on our own. Have faith in David and Emma. They'll get to the bottom of this. And have faith in Robin, too. He's resilient, just like you. He'll pull through, I know he will."

Regina narrows her eyes. "Did you just give me a hope speech without actually saying the word 'hope'?"

Snow chuckles. "I'm finding ways around that word, seeing as you hate it so much."

"I don't hate it, I just hate hearing it every seven minutes," Regina grumbles, shifting her legs underneath Roland slightly. The boy mumbles something in his sleep and tries to burrow himself closer against Regina's chest, little fists clutching at her sweatshirt. She combs her fingers through his hair absently, wondering if it'd be best to wake him so he can lay down somewhere for some real sleep.

"Would you like me to take the boys, at least?" Snow asks, looking from Henry to Roland. "They're probably exhausted. They could use a hot meal and a long nap."

At the thought of letting her sons leave, Regina has the sudden instinct to clutch them to her chest as tight as humanly possible and never let them go. She needs to see that they are alive and breathing and uninjured. But Snow has a point. It'd probably be best for them to eat some breakfast and sleep somewhere other than plastic hospital chairs.

"Alright," she sighs, leaning down to set her coffee on the floor. "But if something happens- for better or worse- I want them back here pronto, okay?"

"Of course."

Regina brushes her fingers more purposefully through Roland's curls, cocking her head to the side so she can see his face. "Roland," she hums, her other hand rubbing circles up and down his back. He begins to stir, turning his face into her chest and letting out a rather adorable grunt. "Roland, sweetheart, it's time to wake up," she continues, her voice low and soothing. She pokes his cheek right where a dimple would be and he squirms, closed eyes fluttering open and failing to focus on anything for a few seconds.

"R'gna?" he mumbles, rubbing his eyes with the back of his fists.

"Yes, sweetheart, it's me," she murmurs, kissing the top of his head. "Do you remember where you are?"

It takes a few seconds and several puffs of heavy breathing before she gets an answer. "The hopspital?" he guesses and she chuckles at his mangling of the word.

"That's right, you're at the hospital. But Snow is here and she's going to take you back to her house so you can sleep more. Does that sound good?"

He grunts again before nodding, cheek still pressed against her chest. Regina can feel his breathing going deep again, her little knight losing the battle to stay awake. She looks up at Snow. "Would you mind carrying him out? I don't think he'll be able to walk straight."

"Yeah, no problem," Snow assures, bending down to scoop Roland off Regina's lap and into her arms. He grumbles and squirms again, but soon he's snoring softly against Snow's shoulder. She sways back and forth with the practised movements of a mother as Regina stands and stretches, her shoulders popping satisfyingly. Her legs, however, are more numb than she realized and she nearly falls to the floor with the sudden weight placed on her sleeping limbs. She catches herself on the edge of Robin's bed and wobbles over to where Henry is still slumbering soundly in his chair.

She goes through the same motions to wake him as she had with Roland, stroking his hair and rubbing his cheek, humming, "Henry… sweetheart, it's time to wake up… Henry…"

He wakes with more of a start than Roland did, sitting up straighter in his chair with a deep inhale of breath. He looks around the room with drooped eyelids, sleep being slow to leave his gaze. "Mom?" he yawns, rubbing a hand down his face.

She gives him a smile, her mind flickering back to all the mornings she roused him from sleep to get ready for school, cherishing the knowledge that they have a routine when it comes to waking up. "Good morning, sweetheart."

Henry looks around the room again, his brow furrowed in confusion before he stares at Robin and then realization spreads across his face. "Did something happen? Is everything okay?" he asks, a slight twinge of panic in his voice.

"Everything's fine, sweetheart," Regina's quick to reassure, reaching out to grasp his knee. "Snow's here to take you home so you can eat and sleep a little while longer."

He nods and looks over at his grandma who is shushing a reawakening Roland. "Are you coming with us?" he asks, looking back at his mother.

Regina sighs and shakes her head. She should, probably. No, she definitely should. She's running on no sleep, no shower, a few sips of coffee, and day-old makeup. A hot shower and hearty breakfast would do her some good, but she'd feel guilty leaving until she hears Robin is in stable condition. She needs to stay until then.

Henry gives her a disapproving look. "Mom," he starts, but he doesn't get far.

"Sweetheart, I'll go home in a little while, but I can't leave him alone. He's not stable yet and someone needs to be here," Regina explains, hand notching in the hospital blanket on the bed. Henry gives her a look out of her own repertoire and she leans forward, placing a hand on each of his knees. "I promise I'll go home today, alright?"

"You better because if you don't, I'm sending Grandpa down here to make you go home," Henry warns. "And he'll be much more annoying about it."

Regina laughs and nods, crossing her hand over her heart. "I promise, alright? Now go home. I'll call you if anything happens."

Henry nods and stands with a groan, stretching and bending, his joints cracking as he does so. "I sound like an old man," he complains, rubbing what has to be a very sore neck.

"That's the sound of growing, dear," Regina chides with a pat to his cheek as she stands, swaying suddenly on her feet. _Whoa there, Mills, maybe you_ should _take some time to lie down,_ she thinks just as she realizes the room is spinning. When did _that_ happen? Over twenty-four hours without sleep will do that to you, right?

Snow adjusts Roland on her hip, the boy jostling against her shoulder. "Ruby said something about wanting to stop by when I texted her this morning. I'll send her down with some food for you," Snow offers and Regina nods on a sharp inhale of breath, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Yeah… that'd be great," she forces out, eyes scrunching shut. She can feel nausea creeping up behind her nose and cheeks, filling the back of her throat. Shit, what is happening?

"Mom, are you okay?" Henry asks, hand coming to brace her elbow.

She scrunches her face tighter together, lights popping behind her closed eyes. "Fine… I think," she manages, voice strained with the effort it's now taking her to speak. And oh great, her legs are tingling again, but this time she knows it's not from sitting for too long. There's something oddly familiar about all the sensations currently forcing their way through her body and if she could just _focus_ for one second she might be able to pinpoint why that is, but oh god, she's going to throw up. Or pass out. Or both.

"Regina?" Snow leads, her voice dripping with worry.

This isn't just a lack of sleep or an empty stomach or worry or a stomach bug. No, this is something worse, something dangerous and volatile that's assaulting every nerve ending and pore and it's not until she feels the air being forced from her lungs that she recognizes just where she's felt such sensations before. At her mother's punishing hand and Rumple's manipulation and Zelena's envy and Emma's folly and most recently Hades's cruelty. It's magic. Swirling, consuming, wicked magic that for whatever reason is somehow multiplied by what feels like a million.

 _Damn Emma Swan for being right,_ is the last coherent thought she registers before everything goes black.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here you go! Chapter 3! Thanks to everyone who reviewed and faved/followed. I love hearing what you think!**

* * *

Beep… beep… beep…

 _Fuuuuuuck,_ is the first thought that rattles through Regina's mind as she slowly emerges from the depths of unconsciousness.

Beep… beep… beep…

 _What the hell happened?_ is the second.

Beep… beep… beep…

 _Where the hell am I?_ is the third.

Beep… beep… beep beep beepbeepbeepbeep

 _Robin!_ is the fourth and the one that has her snapping her eyes open, battling against the ten-pound weights that she could have sworn were pressing against her eyelids. She would have sat up (she's in the hospital, lying on a bed in a room that is not Robin's, she had felt sick, she had fainted, _the magic,_ it's all coming back to her now…) but her muscles apparently are rebelling against her brain and she can barely manage to look around much less move any other part of her body.

"Mom!" she hears Henry exclaim from somewhere beside her and then her son is coming into view, his worried face becoming the only thing she can focus on.

"Henry?" she groans, voice sounding thick and dry, her throat feeling rougher than sandpaper. She attempts to lift a hand to touch his cheek, but her wrist only raises maybe two inches before the effort becomes too great and she drops it back down to the bed.

"Mom, are you alright?" Henry asks anxiously. His eyes run all over her face, down her body before meeting her own gaze once again, silently pleading for her to assure him.

"I'm fine, sweetheart," she manages, swallowing and feeling as if sand is coating her throat.

"What happened? You were fine one minute and then out cold the next. I thought… I didn't know… you scared me," Henry admits, head hanging low in his confession. He looks so worried and concerned that she needs to reach out and comfort him, protesting muscles be damned.

Her hand feels so incredibly heavy as she lifts it to touch his cheek, stroking her thumb across his skin. His eyes flick up to meet hers and he looks defeated, terribly exhausted and she hates herself for dropping such responsibility on him. Both her and Robin unconscious in the hospital at the same time. How could a fourteen-year-old possibly be able to handle that?

"I'm sorry, Henry," she croaks. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"I know you didn't. I just… I started to think about what would happen if you didn't wake up and then if Robin didn't wake up and I just… I'm really glad you're still here," he confesses with a relieved sigh and she smiles up at him, feeling so incredibly guilty. If she had listened to Emma about magic in the room, maybe she could have avoided this and Henry wouldn't have had to play grown-up.

He has dark circles under his eyes. He probably hasn't slept since she woke him around 7:30. Wait a minute- what time is it? What _day_ is it? How long has she been out of it? And where's Roland? And- fuck- Robin, what's his story? Is he stable, has he woken, is he better, is he worse? She can't lay here anymore. She needs to get up, she needs to check on him, she needs to-

"Henry, what time is it?" she asks, trying and failing to keep panic from her voice.

"A quarter after six," he answers, glancing at his watch. "It's still Saturday, though. You haven't been out _that_ long."

Well, that's… good, she supposes, but that means there are eleven hours unaccounted for. Eleven hours during which anything could have happened to Robin and she's spent them unconscious because she was too stubborn to listen to Emma's warning. _You are such an asshole,_ her subconscious reminds her and Robin would have a conniption if he knew the way she was talking to herself during all this, but she supposes that doesn't matter because she _is_ an asshole for putting her family through this. She's the reason Robin is dying in the first place after all.

"Robin-" she starts and Henry shakes his head.

"He's fine. Well, he's the same, I guess. Dr. Whale said he stabilized-"

"Whale?" Regina interrupts, head jerking up slightly. "He is to be nowhere _near_ Robin. He was not the doctor I spoke to last night."

"Shift change," Henry explains with a shrug and Regina resists the urge to scowl. That… _idiot_ would probably look at Robin's injuries and say he had cancer. God, what if he _does_ have cancer? _Pull yourself together, Mills, he doesn't have cancer._

Regina takes a deep breath. "He stabilized?" she repeats, trying to focus on the one good thing to happen so far today.

Henry nods. "He's still on the ventilator, but Whale said he's out of the danger zone for now."

Regina exhales, feeling as if she had been holding her breath since David knocked on the door last night. She should feel better, knowing that he's no longer on the verge of death, but she doesn't. Not in the slightest. Because now there's this whole magic bullshit to deal with. Nothing about the accident or Robin's injuries seemed magical and yet there was such an overwhelming magical presence in the room. _Emma,_ Regina thinks suddenly. She said she'd work a magic angle. Maybe she found something.

"Henry, has Emma come by today?" she asks, forcing herself into a sitting position despite the groaning in her limbs.

"Yeah, she stopped by this morning when Grandma called her about you. She was acting really weird. Mom, what is going on? What aren't you telling me?" Henry urges gently, propping up her pillow so she can lean against it.

Regina sighs. It's nearly impossible to keep anything from him these days. "The reason I passed out and the reason why Emma's been fidgety… it's because we've both been feeling… magic in Robin's room."

Henry stands up straight at that. "Magic?" he echoes, eyes wide. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not really sure, to be honest," she admits, playing with a loose thread on her hospital gown. "Emma mentioned she felt something while she was in there when I was with you and Roland in the waiting room. I didn't believe her because I hadn't felt anything up to that point, but then when Snow came by this morning, I don't know. It just hit me all of a sudden." She glances out the window, absently noting that it finally stopped raining. "It was so… overwhelming, so strong. I've never experienced something like that before."

"It makes sense now," Henry murmurs seemingly to himself and Regina raises an eyebrow. "Whale couldn't find anything wrong with you," he clarifies. "He just assumed you passed out from exhaustion and no food, but I guess that's not it."

Regina shakes her head. Her hair feels greasy. She could really use a shower. And warm food. And real clothes-

"Henry, where are my clothes?" she asks suddenly, reaching out to grasp his forearm.

He looks at her in confusion. "Uh… I think under here?" he guesses, bending down to look under her bed. He pops back up with what looks like a large Ziploc bag, her clothes folded and stuffed inside. She opens it when he hands it to her and pulls out Robin's sweatshirt, bringing it to her nose and breathing it in. There's the scent of hospital cloaking the fabric, but underneath, she can still smell pine and mint and leather. She can still smell _him._

"Hey, isn't that-" Henry begins but he's interrupted by a much less pleasant voice.

"Glad to see someone's finally woken up," Dr. Whale gripes in a tone that suggests he rather thinks otherwise. He saunters in, clipboard in hand, and looks Regina up and down, distaste clouding his face.

Regina scowls at him. "Get the hell out of this room, Whale."

"Well, as much as it displeases both of us, I'm the doctor available at the moment so you're stuck with me," he explains curtly, looking down at his clipboard. "I take it you feel fine?"

"You'd assume that I was even if my appendix was bursting," Regina grumbles, crossing her arms.

"Is it?" Whale asks cheekily, mock hopeful smile on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Henry intercedes, stepping between the bed and the doctor. Regina doesn't attempt to hide her proud smile. Her son is turning into quite the young man.

"Merely making sure the patient is alive and breathing," Whale replies, tucking his clipboard back under his arm.

"Well, she is, so you can-"

"And also to tell you that Robin's being taken into surgery in an hour."

"What?!" Regina cries, shooting up straight in bed. "Henry said you said he's stable!"

"He is," Whale assures, holding up a hand that should be calming but Regina just finds patronizing. "And now that he's no longer critical, we can go in and fix some things we couldn't before."

Regina narrows her eyes. "Who's doing the surgery?"

"I am, Madam Mayor."

"No."

"Well, seeing as I am the doctor currently working this shift, I'm afraid you don't really have a choice," Whale replies with a sigh and an eyeroll.

Regina narrows her eyes. If she wasn't so tired, there'd be a fireball flying at Whale's bleached blonde head right about now. "If you do anything that derails his recovery or hurts him more, the Underworld is going to be a pale comparison to the hell I will put you through," she seethes, her threat losing some of it's punch due to the scratchy nature of her voice.

Whale raises an eyebrow, unphased by her warning. "Duly noted, Your Majesty."

The sound of someone clearing their throat distracts her.

Regina looks over Whale's shoulder to see David standing in the doorway, arms crossed. Whale turns to regard the sheriff as well and offers him a fake smile. "Your Highness," he greets.

"Whale," David returns with a curt nod. "I think you have some other patients that need tending to."

"You're right, I do," Whale agrees, tossing a glance back to Regina. "Ones that'll be a tad more pleasant, I'm sure."

David steps aside to let the doctor past, face expressionless until he's gone. Then he steps into the room, hands on hips, and takes a deep breath. "How are you feeling?" he asks, voice sounding as if it's being weighed down by a thousand pounds.

Regina shrugs. "I'm alive, aren't I?" _Great, now I'm going to have to go through the whole concerned Charmings rodeo again,_ she thinks begrudgingly.

David nods and then gives his grandson a smile. "Henry didn't leave your side the entire time."

Regina looks over at her son, quite touched. She figured as much, seeing as how tired he looks, but hearing it from someone else just makes her heart flutter.

Henry gives her a sheepish grin. "I wanted to make sure you were okay," he admits with a shrug as if it were nothing.

But it's not nothing, not at all. It's her little prince, standing by her, through thick and thin and there was a time, not so long ago that he was not even in the same realm as her and so knowing he was there, keeping watch over her, it means everything. She holds out her hand and Henry takes it, smiles when she gives it a squeeze.

"Thank you, sweetheart," Regina murmurs, feeling tears gathering behind her eyes.

"So I've been talking to Emma," David begins after a moment, taking a few slow steps toward the bed.

Regina resists the urge to groan. Of _course_ that's why he's here.

"She told me about what she felt in Robin's room," David continues. "About feeling magic. She also guessed that's why you passed out. That's true, isn't it?"

Regina nods. "I didn't believe her when she told me because I didn't feel it. But… it just kind of hit me. I've never felt magic like that before."

"That's what Emma said. She couldn't place it, but she knew. She knew it was magic." David runs a hand through his hair, looking uncomfortable all of a sudden. "And now… we think we can prove it."

Regina raises an eyebrow. "Prove what?"

"Prove that magic is responsible for what happened to Robin."

Regina laughs humorlessly. "You're joking. David, Robin got hit by a _car._ "

The prince shakes his head. "That's what we thought. That's what everyone thought, but we don't think that's the case anymore."

She laughs again, has to because otherwise she'll cry. Why does everything have to be so complicated? Why can't it just be as simple as a car accident? _Because it's_ your _life,_ her inner voice reminds her bitterly.

"Well, if it wasn't a car then what the hell happened?" she asks, going for snappy but landing on pleading.

"Emma and I were inspecting Astrid's car for anything that could help us determine what kind of car hit Robin," David explains. "But the thing is, we couldn't find anything. Nothing. No scratches, no paint chips, no bits of metal or strange indentations. Nothing other than the marks Robin made when he collided with it and the damaged parts from when Astrid hit the tree."

Regina releases a shaky breath. "Okay, but how can you say it wasn't a car?" she asks, hating how desperate her voice sounds. She knows she's grasping at straws.

"Because there is no physical evidence to support there was ever a second car on the scene," David elaborates. "Other than Astrid's eyewitness account, we have nothing that would allow a logical person to conclude there was another car present."

"But you _have_ Astrid's account!" Regina nearly cries, feeling tears pushing against the backs of her eyes again. "She said she saw the car. Isn't that enough?"

David exhales as he shakes his head. "Regina, it was dark. It was raining and she was scared."

"So what are you saying?" Regina half-shouts, an angry tear slipping down her cheek.

"We think… some kind of magical force, for lack of a better word, is what crushed Robin up against Astrid's car," David concludes.

For the love of- she's going to pass out again. Regina closes her eyes, feeling another tear slip out in the process, and takes a deep breath. Her life just can't be simple, can it? Not that there was ever anything simple about this whole situation but now… _now_ she has to make peace with the fact that Robin's accident wasn't an accident at all.

"So are you saying… do you think he was _targeted?"_ she manages, voice cracking on more than one word.

"That's definitely a real possibility at the moment," David confirms.

"Who would want to target Robin?" Henry asks with a note of disbelief. He reaches out and squeezes his mother's hand again. She squeezes back.

"Well, I know of a certain wicked witch who might have a few reasons," David suggests.

Regina shakes her head immediately. "No. Zelena is gone. She's not coming back. I made sure of it."

"That's what we thought the last time we got rid of her," David points out and Regina glares.

"Well, _this time_ she really is gone," she insists. "She is never hurting Robin again." _At least I'd be able to tell it's Zelena's cunt on my dick._ Her words from the night before echo through her mind and she has to swallow to keep bile from rising in her throat.

"Regina, just because you sent her back to Oz-"

"It wasn't her magic in the room!" Regina snaps and David raises an eyebrow. She takes a breath to calm herself. "I know what Zelena's magic feels like and it wasn't that. I _know_ it is not her."

David regards her for a moment before nodding slowly. "Alright. Then who?"

"I do believe that is your job, sheriff," Regina replies, settling back against her pillows.

He lets out a noise that sounds like a mix between a scoff and a laugh. "Regina, I'm not exactly wise in the areas of identifying magic."

"Then tell Emma to do it," Regina practically whines. The very thought of having to launch headfirst into another magical fiasco makes falling back into a coma sound very appealing.

"She's working on it right now, but she could surely use your help," David insists. "Don't you want to figure out what happened to Robin?"

"Of course I do," Regina snips, crossing her arms. "But what I want more is for him to recover."

"What if finding out what happened to him is the solution to his recovery?"

Regina narrows her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

David shrugs. "Well, if magic is what caused his injuries, maybe magic is what can heal them."

"He's already improving _without_ magic," Regina points out. "He's stable and in a little bit, he's going into surgery to fix more things that will help him recover even more. He doesn't need magic to get better."

"You really don't think being attacked by magic is going to have any effect on what happens to him after?" David asks in slight disbelief.

"Well, until I see something that tells me otherwise-"

"Regina," David interrupts in a tone that tells her he's done messing around. "I know you're not serious."

She sighs slowly. No, she's not serious. In fact, that was one of the first things that crossed her mind when David first suggested a magical attack. It would be completely illogical to think that magic wouldn't be necessary for Robin to fully heal now but damnit, he had been _stable_ and getting better on his own and she wishes for what feels like the thousandth time for things to be simple.

But it's not even just that things are complicated. Now she needs to find out what happened to him so she can find a way to heal him and if she doesn't, then who's to say what will happen? They don't even know what kind of magic they're dealing with and Regina's positive she has never encountered the magic in Robin's room before. How is she supposed to get to the bottom of this if she doesn't even know what she's up against?

And Emma- despite her best efforts- is about as knowledgeable in the ways of magic as David is which means that Regina is more than likely going to be figuring this out on her own when all she wants to do is care for her sons, be there for Robin, and try to keep it together until he's better.

"Alright," she finally relents, taking a deep breath to silence her spiraling thoughts. "Where's Emma now?"

"She said she was heading to the convent to talk to Astrid again," David replies.

Regina nods and pulls back the blanket covering her legs.. "Tell her to wait for me. I'll be there in a little bit."

"No," Henry interjects sternly, putting his hand on her knee to stop her.

Regina gives him a puzzled look. "Henry-"

"We're going home," he informs her, one arched eyebrow that makes her feel as if there's no point in arguing. He definitely learned that look from her.

"Henry, I need to talk to Emma," Regina counters, tilting her head in confusion over his reaction.

"You can talk to her on the phone or tomorrow," Henry reasons with a shake of his head. "But we are going home. You need a shower and real food and sleep-"

"I just slept for eleven hours," Regina points out with a frown.

"Then why do you still have dark circles under your eyes?" Henry argues.

"I've had a very stressful thirty-six hours."

"Which is why you need to go home."

"Henry."

"Mom." He raises both eyebrows. "You would say the same to me if our roles were reversed."

Regina raises her own eyebrow then. That's probably true, but she can't go home now. Not after all this magic bullshit has come to light. "Henry, I _will_ go home," she promises. "But _after_ I talk to Emma."

Henry sighs. "Roland needs you."

Her heart stops for a second at the mention of her youngest's name. She closes her eyes and hangs her head. "Roland," she echoes, feeling like a terrible mother. "I completely forgot about him. Where is he?"

"Snow has him at the loft," David chimes in.

"Mom, he's confused and scared. The last time he saw you, you were passed out on the floor. I think he could use just a little bit of normal," Henry says with a sigh. "I think we all could use just a little bit of normal."

Regina nods and rubs her forehead. "Yeah," she agrees. "You're right. David, can you call Snow? Tell her we'll be by in a bit to pick up Roland."

"Sure thing," David agrees, pulling out his phone and stepping into the hall to call his wife.

Regina swings her legs over the side of the bed and stands, the tile floor cool against her feet. She wobbles a little from laying down for so long, but Henry reaches out a hand to steady her and soon she's pulling on her jeans and tugging Robin's sweatshirt over her head, her son's eyes respectfully averted. She's about to reach under the bed and pull out her shoes, but then she suddenly remembers something.

"Damn it. Robin's surgery. I forgot about that, too," she exclaims with a sigh. She glances at the clock on the wall. "He's probably going in soon. I shouldn't leave him alone while that's going on."

"He won't be alone, Mom," Henry insists, bending down and grabbing her shoes for her. "The Merry Men have been dropping by all day. I'm sure if you ask one of them, they'll be more than happy to stay with him until you get back."

He's right, again, and after David comes back in the room to tell them Snow will have Roland ready to go when they get there, they go to Robin's room to find Will sitting next to his bed as a nurse preps him for surgery.

"Your Majesty," Will says in greeting, standing when they enter. "Feeling better, I take it?"

Regina nods, giving a quick glance around the room as if she'll find magic hidden in a corner. She doesn't feel anything again which is strange to say the least. This magic must be fickle or selective or gone completely. God, she has her work cut out for her.

"Will, can I ask you a big favor?" Regina starts, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Of course. Anything," Will promises, offering her a comforting smile.

"I need to go home. For the boys. But I don't want Robin to be alone just in case he wakes or something happens so would you mind-"

"Say no more, Your Majesty," Will interrupts, raising a hand. "I'll stay with him. You don't worry. You take care of the kiddos. We'll be waiting for ya when you get back."

Regina can't help the grateful smile that comes to her lips. Despite his occasional lack of social grace, Will has become a better friend to her than she ever expected. "Call me as soon as he's out of surgery, okay? And if anything happens, you _call me first._ Got it?"

Will straightens his stance and solutes her. "Aye, aye, ma'am."

Regina smiles again and gives his shoulder a squeeze. "Thank you, Will. Truly."

"It's no problem. The least I could do for my best mate's lady." His thousand-watt smile dims slightly and he reaches out to take her hand. "Regina, if there's anything else I can do, don't hesitate to ask. If you need someone to watch the kids or cook you something or run errands, just call me. Or any of the other Men, too. Robin's just as much a part of our family as he is yours. We want to help."

"Thanks, Will. I'm sure I'll be taking you up on that offer at some point," Regina replies with one final squeeze to his shoulder before stepping over to Robin's bed, the nurse having left the room for the moment presumably to grab something she forgot. Regina traces the growing stubble on Robin's jaw before brushing back hair from his forehead. The swelling around his eyes has all but disappeared and a few of the smaller cuts look to be clearing up as well. _He's getting better,_ she reminds herself. _He'll be fine._

She leans down and places a kiss on his forehead. "I'll be back," she whispers, tracing the line of his jaw and trying to memorize his features before forcing herself to step away. The longer she stays, the more she's not going to want to leave. She looks at Henry leaning against the doorframe. "Ready?"

He nods and leads her back into the hallway where David is waiting to drive them to the loft. When they get there, Roland nearly knocks Regina over from the force of his hug.

"I thought you weren't going to wake up," he confesses against her legs, his little arms wrapped tightly around her thighs.

"I'm sorry I scared you, baby," Regina apologizes, bending so she can look him in the eye. Tears are pooling in Roland's big brown eyes and Regina feels pain rip through her heart at the sight. She pulls him to her, tucking his head against her shoulder. "I'm all better now. And we're gonna go home, alright? Does that sound good?"

Roland hums in the affirmative against her shoulder and she stands, lifting him to rest on her hip. Twenty minutes later, Roland, Henry, and Regina are walking through their front door with a lasagna from Snow in tow. Dinner and bedtime go without incident, but Regina finds it both comforting and upsetting when Henry reads Roland a bedtime story instead of Robin.

She takes an obnoxiously long shower, trying to scrub away all traces of hospital and strange magic alike and then she crawls into bed, finding it much too cold and much too empty. Her thoughts drift back to several months ago when Robin was a lot farther away than just Storybrooke Memorial Hospital and how she had spent many a night back then wishing for him to be beside her as she slept. When he came back into her life, she had stupidly allowed herself to think that she'd never have to feel that way again. _Foolish girl,_ the echo of her mother's voice being the sound that sends her into a restless sleep.

* * *

She doesn't remember falling asleep, but she must have at some point because she's startled awake by the sound of her phone ringing on the nightstand. She reaches out a hand to feel around for the offending device only to be met with more mattress. She pops her head up and glances around, realizing after a moment that she had moved onto Robin's side of the bed at some point in the night. She rolls back over to her side and grabs her phone off the nightstand, her heart stopping when she sees Will's name flashing on the screen.

"Hello?" she answers breathlessly.

"Regina! It's Will! You're never going to believe this."

"Did something happen?" Regina asks, reaching over to turn on the bedside lamp.

"It sure did! Robin's awake."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry this has taken longer to update. Laptop issues were preventing me from getting any writing done. Also, school has started again so updates might be a little slower, but I'll be as prompt as I can. Thanks to everyone is following this story. I love to hear what you think!**

* * *

She leaves the boys with Emma. They're both sound asleep and probably wouldn't have even noticed she was gone, but the blonde had just gotten off her shift at the sheriff's station and Regina had offered her the guest bed in exchange for watching Henry and Roland. Emma accepted without so much as a grumble, promising she'd hold down the fort when they woke in the morning and that she'd tell Regina about meeting with Astrid later.

Regina loses count of the number of stop signs she ignores on her way to the hospital and is so focused on seeing Robin that she almost completely misses Mr. Gold standing in the waiting room, cane grasped in front of him. She glances at him as she scurries by only to register his face a second after she's past him. She turns around on her heel, eyes narrowed and glares at him. "What the hell are you doing here?" she demands.

Gold looks back at her, unfazed, before gesturing down the hallway with a nod. "Sorry about your thief, dearie. Terrible tragedy."

Regina rolls her eyes, arms crossed. "I'm sure you mean that from the _bottom_ of your heart," she snaps sarcastically. "It's nearly two in the morning. For some reason, I don't think you'd make the effort at this time of night to give a half-hearted sympathy card."

Gold looks down at his feet before taking a step toward her. "From what I hear, you probably shouldn't be out at this time of night, either. What, with your sudden bout of fainting spells."

Regina looks him up and down for a moment. "What do you know about that?"

"Miss Swan stopped by my shop earlier today. Told me that she felt a magical presence in your thief's hospital room and that she simply couldn't explain it," Gold replies. "She also mentioned your rather… _averse_ reaction to the magic."

 _Emma Swan will be the death of me,_ Regina seethes to herself as she closes her eyes for a moment to calm down. The Savior saw it fit to include _Gold_ of all people in this investigation and didn't even bother to check with Regina first to make sure it was okay? Wait, scratch that previous thought- _I will be the death of Emma Swan,_ Regina corrects, vowing to personally strangle the blonde when she sees her next.

"Emma had no right to tell you any of that," Regina manages with only a hint of anger seeping through her tone. "This is affecting _my_ family. I can handle it without your meddling."

Gold scoffs. "Actually, dearie, I think my _meddling_ is exactly what you need."

"Don't flatter yourself," Regina grumbles with a roll of her eyes. She's itching to get out of this godforsaken waiting room. Robin is awake, damn it, and she refuses to not be there for him. No matter how much he might still hate her.

"Have you ever reacted to magic like that before?" Gold asks, head cocked in either curiosity or mocking. Probably both.

"No," Regina admits a tad bit reluctantly. "But I don't see why that matters."

"Were you able to identify the magic?" he presses, ignoring her comment.

Regina sighs and shifts her weight from one foot to the other. "No," she replies shortly.

"So from what I gather, you've never encountered magic like this before," Gold observes. "Seems to me that you don't have as good a handle on this as you think, dearie."

"Just because I've never 'encountered' this magic before doesn't mean I won't be able to figure it out," Regina defends. She resists the urge to just turn around and continue on to Robin because honestly, what is the point of this? Does Gold just want to make her doubt herself? Why the hell does he care about this, anyway?

Gold ignores her remark and turns, taking a few steps toward the reception desk before stopping and facing her once more. "I find it interesting that you and Miss Swan reacted rather differently to whatever magic has plagued your thief," he states leadingly. By the tone of his voice, Regina just knows he already knows something she doesn't. Damn it.

"Emma had a similar reaction," Regina argues. "She felt dizzy, nauseous-"

"But she did not fall unconscious," Gold interrupts.

"Well, no, but-"

"Unlike you and unlike your thief," he continues, pausing for a moment. "Interesting how you fell into the same state as him when you absorbed the magic."

Regina narrows her eyes. "Stop beating around the bush, Gold. If you have a point, make it already."

The man studies her face for a long moment, the silence between them lengthening until finally he looks away, taking a step away from her as he begins to speak. "I can't help but think that the reason you reacted so… aggressively to whatever magic is present in your thief's room is because it is somehow… connecting the two of you."

Regina's eyebrows fly up. "But Emma-"

"Did not fall unconscious. She reacted, yes, but anyone sensitive to the ways of magic would react to its presence. And seeing as she is still rather a novice in most magical areas, it makes sense for her to feel the way she did when she first encountered it." Gold regards her for a moment. "You, however, should have had a much more mild reaction, seeing as how experienced you are."

This isn't making sense. Nothing coming out of his mouth is making a lick of sense and it is nearly two in the morning and Robin is awake and probably waiting for her and does this really need to be happening now? Does her life need to get more complicated right this second? God, she should've taken a shot before she came here.

"Get to your point, Gold," she snaps, going for annoyed and landing on weary.

"Whatever magic you're dealing with, seems to want to connect you and your thief together. Why else would you have fallen into the same state as him?"

Regina shakes her head. "I passed out for a few hours, but I woke up. I'm fine. Robin's been out for much longer than that."

Gold nods. "Yes, well, it appears he was attacked by whatever magical force this is directly. You must have caught the residual effects of it."

"And Emma didn't somehow?"

"This magic must not be concerned with her," he answers with a shrug. "Tell me. When you woke up, how did you feel?"

"Like I got hit by a-" She stops her automatic reply, realizing she had indeed felt like she had been hit by a car. Like Robin. Or sort of like Robin. He got hit by something and then crushed up against a car, but that's neither here nor there, she supposes.

Gold smiles smugly at her realization.

Regina chews on her bottom lip, wishing what he was saying would go back to not making sense. It was easier that way. If what David had speculated was correct- that Robin was attacked by some magical force and not a car- then it would make sense for magic to still be radiating off him afterward. That explains what Emma- and later Regina herself- felt in his room. But why would the magic connect her to him? They're already connected. Pixie dust has proven that. Does this magic have anything to do with that particular link? God, she hopes not. Souls are funny things. If this magic- whatever it is- has affected the connection between their souls, that's going to be awfully hard to heal.

Regina takes a deep breath. She can't think about this now. Not with Robin waiting. "Well, as enlightening as that may be, it really doesn't help me much in figuring out what I'm dealing with. So unless you can tell me who cast the magic or where it originated from, I'm going to have to excuse myself. Someone's waiting for me."

She pauses for a second, raises her eyebrows in mock expectation, and when the man remains silent, turns on her heel and starts walking toward her original destination. She should have known he'd call after her. He always needs to have the last word.

"I wouldn't get my hopes up for a speedy recovery, dearie," he states, making her stop in her tracks. She doesn't turn around, won't give him the satisfaction of seeing the surge of fear that's crossed her face. She hears him take a step in her direction. "Magical wounds can be much harder to heal than physical ones."

* * *

Regina opens his door without preamble, heart pounding, hands shaking, and feels the breath leave her lungs when her eyes meet the deep blue of his looking back at her.

He's alive and breathing and awake and alive and present and there and alive and she'll be damned if he is ever anything other than that again.

"Robin," she breathes, feeling the weight that had been pressing down on her chest for the past thirty-six hours finally lift.

"Regina," he answers with a smile, wincing as he attempts to sit up. She realizes Will is in the room when he reaches out to help his friend by propping up his pillows. Robin grunts out a thank you and then Will is leaving the room, giving Regina a smile as he passes.

She can't stop looking at him- his eyes (open), his smile (wide), his chest (rising and falling with life). She's probably crying, she can't tell, but she knows she's smiling and shaking and still standing by the door and why hasn't she gone to him yet? She drops her bag right where she is and then practically stumbles to the bed, dropping to the mattress right next to him. His arms encircle her immediately, pulling her tightly to him and she has a fleeting thought that it might be painful for him, but she finds she's not too worried about that because he's warm and breathing against her.

Her nose finds its home in the crook of his neck and shoulder just as his hand finds its rightful place in her hair, his other arm wrapped tightly around her waist. She runs her hands up and down his back, feeling the faint outline of bandages through the fabric of his hospital gown but revelling in the feel of his muscles beneath her fingertips.

He's _alive._

"Hi," she whispers into his shoulder, committing the sound of his resulting chuckle to memory, filing it right beside the sound of Henry's excited exclamations of "Mom!" and Roland's endearing giggles.

"Hi, love," he murmurs back, turning his head to place a kiss on her hair. "Hope I didn't scare you."

God, he's an idiot. An adorable, wonderful, breathing, smitten idiot. She tightens her arms around him and presses a kiss to the side of his neck. "You _terrified_ me," she replies, pulling back so she can look at him properly. While the tubes are no longer down his throat, two smaller oxygen tubes are still in his nose, running between his top lip and nose to behind his ears. The bandage wrapped around his head has been changed for smaller bandages only on the deepest wounds on his forehead. She has the urge to kiss every little scratch and bruise until they clear from his face.

"I'm sorry for frightening you, love," he apologizes, thumb running across the apple of her cheek.

She gapes at him. Why is _he_ apologizing when _she_ is the reason this happened to him in the first place? She's the one who drove him out of the house with her hateful words. "I'm the one who should be apologizing," she counters, hands framing either side of his neck. "For what I said, for being why this happened to you-"

"Regina, don't be ridiculous," he interrupts. "You didn't do any of this."

"But if I hadn't said what I did-"

"I'm the one who started the fight. I picked on you first."

"That doesn't excuse what I said," Regina insists. "That was despicable and horrible and cruel." He doesn't answer for once and she uses the silence to search his eyes, looking for any trace of the animosity that filled them the last time they spoke. She can't find anything even remotely close to hatred. "I'm sorry," she whispers, keeping his gaze no matter how much she wants to look away. "I didn't mean any of it and you have every right to hate me."

Robin shakes his head and pulls her against him again, her head resting on his shoulder. "I'll never hate you," he promises, hand running soothingly through her hair. "I could never hate you."

"But-"

"Regina," he interrupts firmly. "Do you hate me for what I said?"

She shakes her head. "No."

"Why not? It was every bit as cruel as what you said."

"Because you didn't mean it," she whispers, knowing where he's going before he gets there.

He hums his agreement. "Words spoken in the heat of anger are never from the heart," he points out wisely. "If either of us had our wits about us, I'm sure we wouldn't have gone where we did."

She sighs, knowing she's not going to win this fight. How is it that he can always keep such a cool head about things like this? "I still feel awful about it," she whimpers.

"Your words were meant to hurt and believe me, they did their job," he admits and some how, she feels even worse. "But I'm sure mine did the same. And now it's time for us to do our jobs and forgive each other. Otherwise, we'll never be able to put this behind us."

Regina pulls back so she can look at him properly. "You can forgive me for that?"

"Yes, I can. You know why?" He leans up to kiss her brow when she shakes her head. "Because I love you more than your words hurt me. And so I can forgive you for that and I hope that you can do the same for me." He gives her a hopeful smile and she feels her heart clench.

She wraps her arms around him again and pulls him against her. "I love you," she murmurs against his shoulder.

He hums contently and rubs soothing circles on her back. "And I love you, milady," he whispers before bussing his lips against her temple. He tugs gently on her hair to get her to release him from her embrace which she does, but she keeps her hands on either side of his waist.

"Now," he begins, mischief entering his voice as he tucks a piece of hair behind her ear. "I do believe it has been almost thirty-six hours since I last got to kiss you- an absolute crime in my book."

Regina smirks, leaning forward automatically. "I suppose we should correct such a heinous offense," she muses, their breaths mingling in the scant space between their mouths.

"Well, if you insist," Robin whispers before fusing their lips together, a surprisingly strong kiss for someone in his state. His lips have never felt so wonderful and alive than they do right now and Regina could nearly cry at the feeling of his mouth moving deliciously against hers because the last time they kissed was just a quick peck as she was rushing out the door in the morning. She had started to think that was going to be their last kiss and hated herself because she could barely remember it. Now she didn't have to.

The clearing of a throat causes them to break apart. Regina turns to see a man in a white coat standing in the doorway. Round glasses adorn his face and a stethoscope is draped across his shoulders. He's an older man, wrinkles crease his face and his gray hair thins on the top. He carries a clipboard under his arm. Regina's never seen him before. "Can I help you?" she asks.

"Oh, no, Madame Mayor, I apologize for interrupting. I just need to do some follow ups to surgery," the man explains, stepping into the room.

"And you would be?"

"Dr. Baker," the man replies, holding out his hand toward her.

Regina eyes him suspiciously. "I've never seen you here before."

"Most people haven't. I do the early morning shift usually. And, uh, I don't have a reputation like a certain colleague of mine," Dr. Baker explains with a sheepish smile.

Regina smirks. "Well, if it keeps Whale out of here, I guess you're okay."

"I'll take that as a compliment, Madame Mayor," the doctor says with a smile.

"Regina's fine," she offers.

"Regina, then. How's our patient?"

Regina turns back to Robin who smiles at her tiredly. He squeezes her hand before looking at the doctor. "I'm doing alright. I feel sore everywhere, but I guess that would make sense considering what happened."

"Yes, that's typical for car accident patients," Dr. Baker concurs just as Regina feels a rush of guilt and panic. They still think Robin was hit with a car. Should she… she should tell them. Or Robin at least. Normal doctors won't know how to treat magical injuries, but so far it doesn't seem like Robin has any. She prays it stays that way.

"And how are you feeling, Regina? Any lingering nausea or dizziness?" Dr. Baker asks her.

"Wait, what? What happened to you?" Robin asks, hand coming up to rest on her back.

Fuck. She had forgotten Robin didn't know about that. And that directly relates to the magical nature of his accident. Well, looks like this can of worms is being opened much sooner than she thought.

"I… I passed out for a bit," she admits, avoiding his gaze that goes from concerned to panicked at her explanation.

"You what?" Robin exclaims, tensing beneath where her hand rests on his stomach.

"It kind of just hit me. I hadn't slept or eaten-"

"Regina," Robin admonishes.

"I was _worried_ , Robin," she defends. "You know how I get when I worry and I didn't want to sleep in case something happened to you-"

"And so you let something happen to you instead."

"I didn't _try_ it," Regina snaps. "And clearly, I'm fine. So forget about it." He won't though, she knows, and despite his present silence, she can practically hear the argument they're going to have. They've had it several times before.

"I can assure you, Robin, she's just fine. Combination of stress and exhaustion can do that to people," Dr. Baker chimes in, pulling his clipboard from underneath his arm.

 _Weird magic can also do that to people,_ Regina thinks but keeps her mouth shut. Now is probably not the time to drop that bombshell.

"Regina, if you could give us a few minutes, I just have to do some post-surgery follow-ups," Dr. Baker requests, flipping through some pages on his clipboard.

"Sure. I'll just… I'll be in the hallway," she agrees, standing up. She turns back to Robin and although he still looks upset, she still leans down to kiss him. He kisses her back and that settles some of the anxiety that had been coursing through her. "Stop worrying," she whispers before kissing him once more and stepping out into the hallway.

It takes awhile, whatever it is Dr. Baker needs to do, and she's starting to wish there were chairs in the hall so she could sit down. She's about to go search for one when Dr. Baker emerges from the room, clipboard under his arm once more.

"He's all yours," the doctor assures her with a smile.

"Everything's okay?" she asks, standing straight from where she had been leaning against the wall.

"Yep, all looks good. He is tired, though, as would be expected. So I suggest you let him sleep for a bit. I'll be back in a few hours just to check in."

"Thanks, Dr. Baker," Regina says sincerely. Having a professional doctor is certainly a breath of fresh air compared to Whale.

Robin's eyes are drooping when she goes back in and the half-smile he gives her is laced with exhaustion. "Sleep," she commands gently, sitting on the edge of the bed beside him. She reaches out and runs her fingers through his hair soothingly. "It'll help you get better."

"How long were you out for?" he asks, voice heavy but determined.

She sighs. "Robin, I'm telling you it was nothing-"

"Regina, love, please. You've gotten to worry about me all this time. Let me worry about you just for a bit."

She studies his eyes for a moment and he looks so incredibly tired but there is a fierce protectiveness underneath it all. He just wants to make sure she's alright. She supposes she can live with that. "Eleven hours," she admits.

"Eleven?" Robin repeats in alarm. "That hardly sounds like nothing, Regina."

"It… it wasn't, I guess," she sighs. There's no point in hiding it anymore. Time to cough up the truth. "I didn't pass out from exhaustion. I… was reacting to magic. Whatever magic is present in this room and whatever magic caused your accident."

Robin stares at her, tired eyes suddenly overcome with confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Emma and I, we both felt magic in your room- this room- and we think it has something to do with what happened to you. We don't think you were hit by a car."

"Regina, love, that's ridiculous-"

"I know it sounds crazy. I didn't believe it at first either, but David said they couldn't find any evidence that there was another car beside Astrid's at the scene. They couldn't find anything at all that would give them a clue as to what hit you."

Robin shakes his head in disbelief. "So what happened then?"

"We think some kind of magical force attacked you. We don't know what. Astrid didn't see anything beyond what she thought were headlights and I'm not familiar with the magic that… overwhelmed me, I guess. We… we really have no idea."

Robin laughs humorlessly. "This is crazy."

Regina nods. "I know. Emma's been looking into it, but I haven't really had the chance to. We're basically going at it blind."

"And… and you're positive it was magic?"

"Yeah. I don't see how it could be anything else."

Robin closes his eyes for a moment and exhales a shaky breath. "Then why do I feel like I was hit by a bloody car? Every cell in my body _hurts,_ love."

Regina feels a pang in her heart knowing he's in pain, but she doesn't have an answer or a solution. "I don't know. I'm going to start working with Emma in the morning so we can figure this all out, but until we do, I just don't have answers."

Robin rubs his eyes. "And you don't have any idea who is behind this? Or what?"

She shakes her head. "No. Henry asked who would want to target you of all people-"

She's stopped when Robin grips her forearm tightly. She looks at him in surprise only to see alarm and a hint of fear clouding his eyes. "Zelena," he rasps. "She found a way back from Oz-"

Regina shakes her head and brings a hand up to his cheek. "No. It's not her," she insists. "I know what her magic feels like and it wasn't that." He looks back at her unsure. "Robin, I promise. When I sent her back to Oz, it was for good. She is never coming back. And she is never hurting you again."

"You're positive?" he nearly whispers and it breaks her heart that he is still fearful of her sister.

"Yes. It wasn't Zelena," she repeats, leaning forward to rest her forehead against his. "But whoever it was, I will find them and make what they did to you look like child's play."

Robin exhales and nods. "Be careful, love. I don't want you hurting yourself on my account."

"I won't-"

"You already have. If this magic is strong enough to knock you out for hours, who knows what else could happen? I won't have you risking yourself, love. I won't."

"I'll do my best to be careful," she promises, knowing it's the only thing she _can_ promise at the moment. The truth is, she is more than willing to risk life and limb to keep him safe. But Robin can't know that. He'd never accept it.

Regina kisses him softly before pulling back and stroking his cheek with her thumb. He looks so tired. "Get some sleep. Emma said she'd bring the boys over after breakfast. They'll be so excited to see you."

"Then I better sleep. Roland exhausts me even when I'm not fresh out of a coma," Robin jokes through a yawn.

Regina smiles and moves to stand, but Robin grabs her hand, making her pause.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asks.

"To the chair so you can sleep."

Robin shakes his head and pulls on her hand. "Stay with me."

Well, how can she refuse that? Regina kicks off her shoes and swings her legs onto the bed, turning until she's curled against Robin's side. She gingerly lays her head on his shoulder, aware of his bandages. "Does this hurt?" she asks, laying an arm across his chest.

"No. You make it feel better," Robin breathes, voice already low and sleep-laden. "You always make me feel better." His arm comes around her waist just as she wedges a leg between his knees. She sighs and nuzzles her cheek against him, relishing in the feeling of him warm and alive beneath her.

A few silent minutes pass where she just listens to his breathing, steady and natural. She's almost positive he's asleep until his voice breaks the quiet.

"You know, now that I think about it, I remember something that might have to do with this magic," Robin murmurs. It sounds like he's on the very cusp of sleep.

"What's that?" Regina yawns, tracing patterns on his chest with her finger.

"Right before I got attacked, I remember thinking there was a strong smell of roses in the air. But there couldn't have been any roses around because they don't grow in that part of the forest." He yawns. "Could that have something to do with magic, love?"

Regina's blood goes cold. If she were standing, she'd have to sit down because she surely would've collapsed. If the air smelled like roses, then that must mean… no, no it can't be. It _can't_ be. She wouldn't do something like this. Surely, she wouldn't… would she? But oh god, if she did, then who knows what is really behind all this, what ulterior motives are at play.

"Love?" Robin prompts and Regina swallows, forcing air back into her lungs.

"Yeah, it… it might," she breathes. But there's no question about it- that smell definitely had something to do with it because that is the scent of magic. Not just anyone's magic, though. The magic of someone Regina had thought she left behind in the Underworld. Apparently, Mother wasn't as ready to let go.

* * *

 **Damnit , Cora. Reviews make me happy!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yay, chapter 5! Thanks so much for being patient- school has started to kick my ass. But this chapter is a little longer than the others so hopefully that makes up for it! I'll try to get another chapter in by the end of the month!**

* * *

 _Mother_ , of all people, was the one who attacked Robin. Or at least, sent magic to do the attacking. It doesn't make sense. Mother is dead. Regina saw her in the Underworld and had very nearly come to blows with her then. But they parted ways and Regina had been positive the ghosts of her past would stay just that. So how then would Mother be able to send magic careening across realms?

Unless it's not Mother. Anyone's magic could smell like roses, right? Of course, there is the pesky fact that Regina's never encountered magic with the same scent as her mother's before and she's had too many nightmares involving crushed hearts and haunted stables and destroyed dreams of freedom to think all this is merely coincidental. Mother never wanted her to have love and now that she finally does again…

But it doesn't make sense because if Mother wanted Robin dead simply because Regina loved him, he would be dead right now. There would have been no all-nighters at the hospital and waiting for him to wake up because he never would have woken up. He would have been killed the moment Mother's magic struck him and yet here he is, sleeping soundly, his heart beating steady under Regina's palm. Mother even had the chance to crush his heart in the Underworld and she miraculously, blessedly, did not.

So then why? And how?

How Regina manages to sleep with so many thoughts muddling her brain is beyond her, but she wakes several hours later to the feeling of Robin's fingers stroking her hair.

"Morning, love," he murmurs, voice still thick with sleep.

She takes a deep breath and nuzzles herself closer against his chest, freezing when he winces. "Sorry," she apologizes, lifting her head to look at him, gauging his face for any signs of lingering pain.

"It's alright," he assures her, guiding her head back down to settle on his shoulder. "Guess I'm just a little fragile at the moment."

She turns her head to place a kiss on his shoulder and sighs as she closes her eyes again. "I'll take fragile over comatosed any day."

Robin chuckles and she feels him kiss the top of her head. "You should get something to eat, love."

"Don't you start coddling me, too," she warns harmlessly. "I've gotten enough of that from Team Charming."

"Coddle you? I wouldn't dream of it," Robin teases, earning himself a smile. "I only meant it's breakfast time and I know how cranky you get when you haven't eaten."

"Excuse me? I do _not_ get cranky when I'm hungry," Regina defends, popping her head up again to glare at him.

"I think you just proved you do," Robin chuckles.

Regina narrows her eyes. "If you weren't so _fragile_ right now, I'd punch you."

Robin leans forward and kisses her nose. "You're also quite adorable when you're cranky."

"You did not just call me-"

She's interrupted by the door opening and Dr. Whale stepping into the room. He takes one look at the pair and scowls, matching Regina's own expression. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demands.

"Getting some decent sleep. What the hell do you think _you're_ doing?" Regina retorts.

"Checking on my patient who should not be having a heavy weight pressed against broken ribs all night long," Whale snaps. "Or partaking in any strenuous physical activity for that matter."

 _Of course his mind went there,_ Regina thinks as she sits up and glares. "Where's Dr. Baker?"

"It's not his shift."

"I want Dr. Baker," Regina demands. "At least he knows how to conduct himself in a professional manner."

"You're more than welcome to call the man and wake him up after working a ten-hour shift, but for some reason, I don't think he'd take too kindly to that," Whale goads.

"Well, I refuse to deal with you all day," Regina insists, crossing her arms defiantly.

"Oh, you won't. You get a few minutes reprieve right now. Your brats and the sheriff are in the waiting room," Whale informs her, gesturing dramatically toward the door.

Regina shoots the doctor another glare before turning back to Robin. "Do you want to see them yet or are you still tired?" she asks softly. "I can bring them back later if you want."

Robin shakes his head and runs his hand up and down her back. "No, bring them in now. It feels like ages since I last saw them."

"Okay, I'll be back in a bit," she promises, standing up from the bed. She turns and levels Whale with a glare. "If you mess _anything_ up, you're going to be looking for a new head, not just a new hair color. Got it?" she threatens, pointing at him menacingly.

Whale rolls his eyes. "Despite what you might think, Your Majesty, I actually know how to do my job."

"Your track record would beg to differ," Regina retorts, stepping around him and grasping the doorknob. She looks back to Robin and raises her eyebrows. "I expect a full report of everything he did wrong when I get back."

Robin chuckles. "Of course, milady."

She shoots one last glare at Whale for good measure before stepping out into the hallway. When she gets to the waiting room, she's greeted by two eager faces.

"Mom!"

"Regina!"

Both her boys come rushing over to her, Roland catapulting himself at her legs. For the first time in days, Regina laughs wholeheartedly as she bends to scoop him up. "Good morning, my little prince and knight. Did you sleep well?" she asks as Roland wraps himself around her like a koala.

Henry nods, bouncing slightly from anticipation. "Is Robin really awake?"

"Yeah, is he? Is he, Regina?" Roland echoes, popping his head up from her shoulder.

"Well, how about I let you see for yourselves?" she teases, tapping Roland's nose with her finger. He scrunches his face up and giggles, eyes twinkling with joy that hadn't been there the night before.

"That means he is," Henry declares, smile threatening to consume the rest of his face. "I told you, Roland, didn't I? And I told you too, Mom. I told you he'd make it."

"I never doubted you, sweetheart," Regina replies, adjusting Roland on her hip. She glances around the waiting room. "Where's Emma? I thought she brought you over."

"She dropped us off. She said she was going to get coffee for you and her and that she'd be back in a bit," Henry answers. "Can we see him now?"

"Yeah, Regina, can we see Papa? Please?" Roland nearly begs, drawing out his final syllable.

She laughs at his eagerness and tilts her head in the direction of Robin's room. "Come on, then. I'd hate to keep you waiting."

Roland wiggles against her hold and she sets him down, his feet barely touching the floor before he's scampering off down the hallway. She yells after him to slow down, but she doesn't mean it. The boys could ask for a rocket ship right now and she'd give it to them. She wraps her arm around Henry's shoulders as they follow after Roland, a lightness returning to both their steps.

Whale is thankfully, blessedly gone by the time they get to Robin's room. Roland's face lights up brighter than a Fourth of July sky when he sees his father. "Papa!" he shouts in glee, running over to the bed.

Robin looks at him blankly for a moment before his face reflects the joy on his son's and he holds out his arms toward the little boy. "Come here, son," he says, helping Roland scurry up on the bed. Robin kisses the top of his son's head as he crushes him tightly to his chest, causing Roland to wiggle and squirm.

"Careful," Regina admonishes as Henry steps away from her and toward the bed, smile growing on his face.

Robin releases Roland with a kiss to his cheek before reaching a hand up and grasping Henry's shoulder. "Henry, my boy, it's good to see you."

The teenager nods as he reaches out to grasp Robin's shoulder in turn. "Good to see you, too, Robin. You had us worried."

Roland nods his agreement, curls flopping everywhere. "Regina said the doctors said they didn't know if you'd wake up, but Regina said she knew you would and you did! I was right because I said you always listen to what Regina says."

Robin chuckles, glancing up at the woman in question in amusement. "Well, of course. I'd never not listen to Regina," he teases and Regina rolls her eyes despite her smile. She'd make a sassy comment in return, but she's too busy committing the scene before her to memory. All of her boys, awake, alive, and together. If she had a Polaroid, she'd take a snapshot.

"Papa, Miss Emma said she's working extra extra _extra_ hard to solve your case," Roland informs his father eagerly, despite probably not knowing exactly what that means.

"Well, good. That's what sheriffs are for," Robin replies.

As if on cue, Emma chooses that moment to knock on the door, poking her head inside and smiling when she sees Robin. "Damn, Dad won the bet," she quips, coming into the room fully, two cups of coffee in hand. Regina gratefully accepts one as Emma goes to stand behind Henry.

"Bet?" Robin asks through his smile.

"He said you'd wake up before the end of the weekend. I said you'd make us wait until at least Tuesday," Emma clarifies.

"Don't even joke about that, Emma," Regina grumbles. "I think I would have gone insane if he was out until Tuesday."

Emma shrugs as she takes a sip of her coffee. "I'm out five bucks now, thanks a lot," she teases Robin.

"You actually bet money on this?" Regina asks incredulously, personally offended by Emma's lack of tact, and not for the first time, either.

"Working consecutive graveyard shifts tracking down dead ends calls for a little jest here and there," Emma replies, looking back to Robin. "You just had to give us the hardest case ever, didn't you?"

"Thought you could use the challenge," Robin quips.

"Yeah, well, there's challenging and then there's impossible. We've found exactly zero leads that go anywhere," Emma explains.

 _Maybe not for long,_ Regina thinks as she sips her coffee. "Emma, can I talk to you for minute?" she asks, reaching for the door handle.

Emma knocks back a long swig of coffee as she nods and follows Regina into the hallway. "What's up?" she asks, chucking her empty cup into a nearby trash can.

Regina crosses her arms. "Gold stopped by this morning," she states plainly, eyebrow arching. "He knew an awful lot about what's going on for _some_ reason."

Emma cringes slightly. "Yeah, uh, about that…"

"I didn't say you could go to Gold about this," Regina gripes.

Emma gives her an unimpressed look. "Well, sorry, but I needed some guidance. I don't normally handle magical nonsense by myself."

"You could have asked me."

"You weren't exactly in a state where I could."

Regina closes her eyes for a moment, annoyed that the blonde has a point. "Well, regardless, I don't want him involved any more than he already is."

"You say that now, but for some reason, I have a feeling we'll be paying him a visit sooner rather than later," Emma warns, crossing her arms. "We don't exactly have much to go on with just the two of us."

"As a matter of fact, we just might," Regina replies. She takes a deep breath. "I told Robin about our magic theory and he said something that… caught my interest."

"What'd he say?"

"He doesn't remember much about what happened, but he does remember that right before he was attacked, the air smelled strongly like roses," Regina explains, feeling nauseous just thinking about the flower. She never has roses in her house solely because of the smell. It reminds her too much of Mother and the constricting magic that comes with her.

Emma cocks her head. "Okay?"

"Roses don't grow in that part of the forest," Regina continues. "But magic can smell like roses. Specifically, my mother's magic."

Emma looks at her in confusion. "What are you saying?"

"I think… my mother has something to do with this," Regina concludes hesitantly. It sounds crazy even to her ears.

"Regina, your mother is dead," Emma counters. "We saw her in the Underworld."

"I know. Believe me, I know," Regina assures. "I've spent a better part of the night trying to convince myself that it's not her, but I just can't shake this feeling that it is. If it were anyone other than Robin…"

Emma nods in understanding. "No, I get it. You think it's Daniel all over again."

"But it's not. And that's just it. If my mother did want to kill Robin, he'd be dead right now," Regina replies, shifting uncomfortably on her feet.

"So then maybe it's not Cora," Emma suggests. "She met Robin in the Underworld. If she wanted to kill him, she could have done it then."

"I know, but it's just… I've never met anyone else whose magic carries the scent of roses," Regina sighs, feeling the inklings of a migraine forming behind her eyes. She's terrified by the thought that Mother is responsible, but at the same time, she's nearly just as terrified at the thought that she's not. Because if Mother's not behind this, then that means there's someone else out there who wants to destroy her happiness and facing the unknown is even more frightening.

"Okay, but you and I both know what Cora's magic feels like," Emma argues. "And I don't about you, but whatever magic was in Robin's room, it didn't feel like hers."

Regina exhales. "True, but maybe it's different because she's dead. Or, at least, not in this world anymore."

"And that's another thing. She's in the Underworld, a completely different realm. How could she send magic careening across realms like that?" Emma adds, confidence growing with every counter-argument.

Regina reaches up and massages her temple. Emma has a point. A lot of them, in fact. But for whatever reason, she just can't shake this feeling. Maybe she's being paranoid, maybe she's overthinking, but Daniel's empty eyes still haunt her dreams and _love is weakness_ still skirts the edges of her mind when she least expects it.

"Emma, I don't know," she admits tiredly. "I don't know what it is, but I just feel it. Gold said whatever magic we're dealing with, it wants to connect me and Robin somehow. That's why I reacted so violently to it and you didn't. It attacked me the same way it attacked Robin because it has to do with us."

Emma raises an eyebrow. "You're already connected."

"I know, and that's what worries me. If this has something to do with our souls…" She shakes her head. "Look, hearts and minds are easier to fix. Souls are more difficult."

"You think this has to do with your soulmate thing?"

Regina shrugs. "I don't know. I don't feel different and as far I can tell, neither does Robin. It was just the first thing I thought of when Gold mentioned a connection. It could mean nothing."

Emma shakes her head. "Or it could mean something. It's more solid than Cora, anyway." She reaches into her back pocket and pulls out her phone. "I'm going to talk to Tink. She might be able to tell us more about it."

Regina reaches out and grabs her arm. "Whatever you do, _don't_ tell Blue. That moth does not need to start meddling in this."

Emma rolls her eyes. "Save your Evil Blue theories for Leroy. But fine, I won't say anything to her."

"Speaking of fairies, what did you get out of Astrid?"

The blonde sighs dramatically and shakes her head. "Nothing. She couldn't even remember what she was wearing let alone anything useful. I seriously doubt she's going to be much help."

Regina nods, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. What good is having an eye witness if they can't remember their damn name? Fairies- always so goddamn useless. "Wait a minute," Regina says suddenly as she realizes quite an obvious point. "Astrid's a flipping fairy. She'd recognize magic if it was present at the scene."

Emma blinks as she processes this, brow furrowing as she grasps Regina's point. "Hey, you're right. She totally would've felt something," the blonde agrees. "You don't… do you think she's been lying to us?"

"Wouldn't be the first time your superpower let you down," Regina quips, suddenly quite furious at the thought that a _fairy_ , of all people, would try to keep something like this from them.

"Okay, well, there is the possibility that she was so out of it she didn't realize there was magic," Emma defends, fingers flying over her phone screen.

"Don't defend her," Regina argues. "If she's keeping something from us on purpose, she better have a better excuse than just being scared."

"I'll talk to her when I talk to Tink," Emma promises, slipping her phone back in her pocket. "Do you want to come with me?"

Regina shakes her head. "I can't leave the boys with Robin. They'll wear him out. I'm going to drop them at Snow's after this, but I'll call you and we can meet up then."

Emma pulls her phone right back out. "I've a better idea. I'll call Killian, he can pick up the boys and then you can meet me right from here."

Regina scowls. "I don't want my children being exposed to the vice-riddled world of piracy."

"That'd be the mildest thing they've been exposed to yet," Emma counters, thumbs flying over her screen. "And, if we're being technical, it _is_ our day with Henry."

Oh, fuck, it is. What day is it again? Sunday? The second Sunday, to be exact, which means that Emma gets Henry today and tomorrow. Well then. "Fine," Regina relents. "Have him take them to lunch. But keep the pillaging and plundering to a minimum."

"That's vikings, not pirates."

Regina rolls her eyes and Emma smirks, but it gets the blonde on her way to talk to the fairies and leaves Regina free to go back to her boys. Roland's entertaining his father and brother with some grand retelling of whatever movie he and Henry watched the other night, still sitting squarely on Robin's stomach. That cannot be good for his damaged respiratory system, Regina thinks wearily, returning Robin's grin with a tired one of her own. She feels like she could sleep for hours and it's not even noon.

"...and then they baked her into a _cake_ , Papa!" Roland giggles, as if the idea was completely ridiculous.

"A cake?" Robin repeats. "It must've been very large."

Roland nods enthusiastically. "It _was_! Bigger than this whole room!" he exclaims, spreading his arms out wide as he gestures around.

Henry gives him a look. "I don't think it was _that_ big, buddy."

Roland twists his mouth to one side. "No, I guess it wasn't. But it _was_ as big as you, Papa! Maybe even bigger!"

"Really? Do you think it tasted good?"

Roland scrunches up his nose as he shakes his head. "Cruella de Vil cake would _not_ taste good, Papa. She's bad and bad people don't make good cakes."

Regina laughs at the same time Robin does, thinking more of the real life villain who had once walked the streets of Storybrooke instead of the Glenn Close version. What a sight to see if _that_ Cruella had been baked into a cake. Regina's almost sorry she'll never get to see such a thing.

"Henry said there's a book that goes with the movie," Roland continues. "Can we read it, Papa?"

"Of course. I'm sure Henry has it somewhere in his large library."

Roland looks over at his brother eagerly, smiling when Henry tells him that of course he owns it. "We can read it tonight, Papa! At bedtime when you tuck me in!"

Robin glances up at Regina at that, uncertainty and alarm on his face which she is sure is reflected on her own. It's only natural for Roland to assume his father would come home today. He's awake and talking and laughing and aside from the few scratches and bruises currently visibly, he seems perfectly fine. It's a logical conclusion for a kindergartener, one that Regina wishes she didn't have to undermine.

"Roland, sweetheart, Papa's not going to be able to tuck you in tonight," she starts, moving forward to sit on the bed so she can put a hand on the little boy's back.

"Why not?"

"Because Papa has to stay here in the hospital for a little while longer," she explains, keeping an eye out for any trembling bottom lips.

Roland tilts his head. "Why? He's better."

"Yes, he is, but he needs to get… more better before he can leave," Regina fumbles, eyes darting to Robin who half-shrugs. It's as good of an explanation as any, she supposes.

"How long is that going to take?" Roland pouts and shoot, there goes the lip.

She's at a loss for that one too, she realizes. She hadn't really thought about how long Robin would be in here, but she's heard nothing about a potential discharge date, so she can only assume it'll be awhile. "Well, I'm not exactly sure, sweetheart. We'll have to ask the doctors next time they come to do a check up," Regina replies, hoping her answer will do something to halt that bottom lip in its tracks.

No such luck. "I don't want Papa to be in the hopspital anymore," Roland whimpers and there go the tears that come with the lip.

She's expecting Robin to jump in here and he very much looks like he's about to, but to her surprise and mild delight, Henry beats him to it. "Hey, buddy, don't worry. Papa's going to be just fine here," the teenager rushes to assure his brother. "He needs to stay to make sure he doesn't get hurt again and I know that kinda stinks, but you know what?"

Roland sniffs, little fists rubbing at his eyes. "What?" he asks miserably.

"This means we have a new mission," Henry leads conspiratorially.

That grabs Roland's attention and he looks up, tears forgotten in favor of curiosity. "We do?"

Henry nods. "Yep. Do you think Papa's going to have fun being in this boring room all day?"

Roland shakes his head. "No, there's nothing to do."

Henry winks. "Exactly. And that's where we come in. We need to make sure Papa doesn't get bored because that wouldn't help him get better, now would it? What do you think we can do to make sure he doesn't get bored?"

Roland scrunches his face up as he thinks, index finger coming up to tap his chin comically. "Well, Papa likes to draw. Don't you, Papa?" he asks, turning to his father.

Robin nods. "That's right, son. We've drawn a lot together," he answers, his eyes flicking up to Regina and she realizes what he actually means. Robin does like to draw. He's very good at it, in fact, which is something she only realized when she found his sketchbook covered with images of their sons and other family members, herself included. He possesses a fascination with drawing her, particularly in bed, both asleep and awake, both clothed and nude. She feels her face flush as some of their more intimate 'art classes' come to memory and from the look on Robin's face, she can tell he's thinking much of the same thing.

"Yeah, so we can bring stuff so Robin can draw while he's here," Henry continues, unaware of the knowing looks being tossed between the two adults. "And he likes to read, right?"

"Yeah, Papa's really good at reading!" Roland agrees enthusiastically. "We can bring him books. Would you like books, Papa?"

"I would love some books, son," Robin agrees, tearing his gaze away from Regina to look at the boy in his lap. "Maybe you could try reading some to me when you visit."

"That's a good idea! I'm getting really good at reading, too," Roland claims proudly.

"Perfect. We'll get some books and drawing stuff. Operation Bumblebee is a go," Henry declares.

Regina smiles and raises an eyebrow, no longer needing to voice the question that always comes after the naming of Henry's operations.

"Because we need to keep Robin busy as a bee," Henry explains when he catches his mother's eye.

Regina nods her understanding and then glances down at her phone when she feels it vibrate. A text from one Captain Hook catches her eye. "Well, I think you two are going to be as busy as bees too, getting all this stuff together. I also think you'll be busy because Killian's here to take you to lunch."

"He is?" Roland asks excitedly, much to Robin's chagrin. It's nothing against the man himself, but Regina suspects Robin's a little offended that his son has taken such a liking to the idea of pirates in general. Aren't outlaws just as exciting as pirates? She stifles a chuckle at his unenthusiastic expression as she stands to lift Roland off his father and onto the floor.

"He is, my little knight. And you're going to spend the day with him, too, okay? I'll pick you back up for dinner. Sound like a plan?" she asks, smoothing out his curls. From all the tangles, she can tell no one made sure he brushed his hair this morning. She can only hope he brushed his teeth.

"What are you going to do?" Henry asks, standing up.

"Emma and I are going to talk to the fairies and see what we can dig up. We have some… leads we want to follow up on," Regina answers vaguely, expecting and receiving an unimpressed look from Henry. She returns his expression with one of her own that promises she'll tell him what's up later when there's not a kindergartener in the room. "Alright, say goodbye to Papa."

"Bye, Papa! I'll see you tomorrow! Make sure you get more better, okay?" Roland asks, voice muffled from being squished against Robin's chest as he leans down to hug his son.

"I'll try, my boy," Robin promises, placing a kiss on curly hair before releasing him. "Hold down the fort, alright, Henry?"

The teenager nods and leans down to hug Robin as well, making Regina helpless to the smile that spreads across her face. She's become quite the sap, she notices. Her boys tend to do that to her. Robin looks over to her then and she steps up and kisses him sweetly on the lips, smiling at the retching sound Roland makes. "I'll come back some time tonight, okay?" she murmurs when they part and Robin nods before kissing her one more time.

"Be careful, love," he advises, always so worried about her.

Regina promises she will and then tells him to sleep before leading their sons out of the room and down the hallway. Hook is waiting for them in reception and Roland scampers excitedly up to the pirate, eager to spend the day with someone he considers to be, as Henry would say, awesome. Hook asks after Robin, offers his sympathy and support, and then takes the boys off Regina's hands with a promise to not give them too much sugar before dinner.

Regina follows them outside but when she goes for her phone, she realizes it's not in her pocket. "I'm losing my mind," she mutters to herself as she reenters the hospital to get her phone from Robin's room where she most likely left it. "Sorry, I forgot my phone," she sighs when she gets there, finding the device on the end of the bed.

"Uh, you did?" Robin asks, looking at her rather strangely.

Regina nods and holds it up. "Yeah, I meant to call Emma."

Robin looks at her like she's grown two heads. "How did that get there?"

"I… left it here?" Regina answers in confusion.

"When?"

"Like two minutes ago," Regina replies, unsure. Why is he being so strange?

Robin furrows his brow. "No, you didn't. You couldn't have."

Regina smiles uncomfortably. "Um, yes, I did. Robin, are you alright? You're acting weird."

Robin straightens up, expression going from confused to suspicious. "How do you know my name?"

What the hell? "How do I know- Robin, it's me," Regina insists, trying and failing to keep panic from gripping her chest. Does he not… recognize her? Is he delirious? Should she get a doctor?

Robin continues to glare at her. "I don't know you."

"Robin, yes, you do," she cries, stepping closer to the bed. "It's me, Regina."

He stares at her for a moment longer before blinking rapidly, face changing from suspicious to bewildered. "What?" he whispers to himself. He looks back up at her, eyes wide. "Regina… love, I… I don't know what came over me, I… I'm sorry."

Regina swallows and shakes her head. "Don't apologize. You… you're probably just tired," she fumbles, unable to let go of her panic. "You should sleep. I'll… I'll stay. I'll tell Emma I can't meet-

"No, love, you need to go with Emma," Robin insists, shaking his head. "You're right, I'm probably just tired. I'll sleep and you go do what you do best. I'll be fine."

Regina nods, not believing a word of it, but what can she do here? If she stays, she's just going to drive herself crazy with worry. She needs to get her mind off of whatever the hell just happened. She leans down to kiss him goodbye, too distracted by the last two minutes to register that something is off about his kiss, something that leaves her soul feeling untouched.

* * *

 **Aw shit.**

 **Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think- if you don't review, I don't know what you think! And I want to know!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry for the wait on this one, guys! School has been crazy and this chapter just did not want to be written. I'm still a little nervous about it, so please let me know what you think. Also, shameless self-promotion: I started a new story called Not Too Far Gone which is basically all our favorite OUAT characters in the zombie apocalypse with events inspired by The Walking Dead. So if you're into that, go ahead and check it out!**

 **And now, on with the show!**

* * *

"Promise me you'll behave yourself."

Regina scoffs. "Me?"

"Yes, you," Emma confirms as they ascend the steps to the convent. "I know fairies aren't exactly your thing-"

"Vermin aren't most people's thing," Regina grumbles.

"That's what I'm talking about. We're here to get their help, not ignite their fury."

"Their fury isn't something to fear. You can squash it with a well-placed fly swatter."

"Regina," Emma warns as they stop in front of the main door.

"Oh, calm down," Regina mutters with a roll of her eyes. "It's not like I'm going to insult their mothers."

Emma hums a note of disapproval, as if she wouldn't put it past Regina to do such a thing, before reaching up to bang the knocker.

The door opens before she has the chance, the frown of Mother Superior greeting them coolly. "What do you want?" she asks in a mix of irritation and suspicion.

Regina scowls. How dare this _moth_ act as if _they_ are the pests-

"Afternoon, Blue," Emma greets with a smile, stepping ever so slightly in front of Regina, no doubt a warning to calm the fuck down. "We were hoping we could talk to Tink for a bit."

"She's not here at the moment," Mother Superior answers curtly.

"Oh. Well, in that case, we'll talk to Astrid instead," Emma replies, a demand pleasantly veiled as a request.

"Sister Astrid? You've already spoken to her twice," Blue points out, eyebrows raised in authority. "Surely you don't need to speak to her again."

"Yeah, well, new leads create new questions," Emma explains in her fake pleasantness. "So, if you wouldn't mind-"

Blue purses her lips. "She's in the gardens out back."

"Thanks-"

"I hope Robin is doing well," Blue interrupts, looking at Regina directly for the first time.

"He's fine," she replies with as little irritation as she can muster.

"Good. It would be a shame for his son to be made an orphan at such a young age."

Regina glares, fists clenching. "Roland's none of _your_ concern. And even if he were, he wouldn't be an orphan, he'd have me."

Blue smiles curtly. "Of course. Have a nice day, ladies."

Emma shoots Regina some side-eye the moment the door is shut. "What did I just say?"

"Oh, cut me a break. She's lucky she still has eyebrows after that one," Regina grumbles, striding past Emma to follow the wrap-around porch to the backyard. There are a few nuns scattered throughout the garden, but they spot Astrid tending to a rose bush a few yards from the stairs.

"Your temper must turn Robin on," Emma muses as they descend the steps into the garden.

"What?" Regina snaps.

The sheriff shrugs. "How else would he be able to put up with it all day?"

Regina rolls her eyes. "You are a child."

Emma shrugs. "Hey, some men are into that angry, scratching, biting thing."

Regina lets out a sound of indignation, a retort on her tongue of something along the lines that her sex life is hardly an appropriate topic of conversation for a convent, but she doesn't have a chance to voice her protests.

"Astrid, could we talk to you?" Emma calls out as they get closer.

The nun jumps at the sound of her name, nearly dropping the shearers in her hands. "You scared me," she gasps, turning to face the pair.

"Sorry. I was hoping we could ask you a few more questions."

Astrid frowns. "Again? I feel like you've already asked me everything."

Emma offers a humoring smile. "Yeah, I'm sorry I keep bothering you, but there's been some more developments."

"Oh," Astrid reacts simply. Her eyes dart around, never looking either woman in the eye, before she turns back to the rose bush. "I've told you everything I know. I doubt I'll be much help."

"Could you at least try?" Emma presses.

"I told you, I barely saw anything. Everything I know, you know," Astrid insists with a shrug, her back still toward them.

"Well, maybe if-"

 _Enough_ already. "Listen, moth," Regina interrupts, stepping forward to grab the shearers out of Astrid's hands, the force of her yank turning the fairy toward her. "You're a nun. Which means you must be familiar with the story of the burning bush. If you don't want to see a live reenactment, I suggest you stop with the bullshit and give us some real answers. We know you're hiding something from us."

Emma sighs loudly from somewhere behind them, but Regina pays her no mind. Being passive never got anyone anywhere.

Astrid studies Regina with uncertainty for a moment before her shoulders deflate, defeat on her face. "I haven't been lying," she insists weakly.

"But you haven't been telling us the whole truth, either," Regina continues for her, an eyebrow raised in warning.

The nun shakes her head. "Not exactly."

Emma steps up then. "Astrid, it's super important that you tell us the truth. Something could go seriously wrong if you don't."

"Wrong with Robin?" Astrid asks in alarm, looking up at Regina. "He's not… he's okay, isn't he?"

 _How do you know my name?_

 _I don't know you._

Maybe he's not as okay as they'd all like to believe.

"He's fine for now, but we're not sure how long that's going to last," Emma answers for Regina. "So, please, we need to know the whole truth this time."

Astrid chews on her bottom lip for a second, eyes shooting to the convent behind them. "I… okay. I'll be completely honest this time, but don't… please don't tell Blue I said anything."

"Why shouldn't we tell Blue?" Emma asks, brow furrowing.

"She doesn't think we should concern ourselves with… strange magic," Astrid explains quietly.

Regina and Emma exchange knowing looks, loud exhales coming from both of them. Well, there goes the last tiny sliver of hope that this is nothing more than a car crash. Damn fairies.

"Strange magic?" Emma echoes, shifting her stance. "What kind of strange magic?"

Astrid looks around nervously. "Right before Robin got hit, I felt… something magical in the air. But I didn't know what it was and that scared me. Fairies know nearly every kind of magic there is. But this… this was something else and I've never felt anything like it before. I couldn't even begin to guess what it was."

"Did you happen to see anything actually hit Robin?" Emma asks.

Astrid shakes her head. "No, I was facing away when it happened, but I did see light reflect on the trees and the ground. I assumed at the time that they were headlights, but I know that's not true now."

"It was magic," Regina states grimly.

Astrid nods. "Yes, it was. But that's all I can tell you. I don't know what kind of magic it was or where it came from or who cast it. I just know it was magic." She fiddles with the shearers in her hands. "I'm sorry I can't tell you anything else. And that I didn't tell you sooner."

"It's alright, Astrid, just thank you for finally being honest," Emma replies with a kind smile, completely opposite from Regina's scowl.

"Well, this is just great," the mayor snaps. "We're not any closer than we were ten minutes ago."

"That's not true," Emma argues. "Our magic theory was just confirmed by someone who was actually there. Now we know for sure."

"We were ninety-nine percent positive before we got here," Regina retorts. "This was a waste of time."

Emma shoots her a warning look before turning back to the nun. "Thank you for your help, Astrid. We'll let you know when we figure all this out."

Astrid nods in her squirrelly way and tucks a loose curl behind her ear. "Tell Robin I hope he has a speedy recovery."

Regina just manages to contain her snarl, turning to leave the way they came before she loses it. Useless, useless, useless. Fairies are useless, this outing was useless, she's useless. She can't do anything to help Robin if she doesn't know what they're dealing with and it looks like no one has any goddamn clue. She can't go to Gold. She _won't_ go to Gold. She will not grovel at his feet and be caught in his web of deals and lies. She can figure this out. She _will_ figure this out. She just needs some answers, some direction, but looking for either of those things is difficult when she can't focus on anything other than the lack of recognition in Robin's eyes. He didn't know her. And she doesn't know why. She wonders if she ever will.

Emma says something to Astrid about letting them know if she remembers anything else and then jogs to catch up with Regina. "We'll figure this out, Regina," the sheriff promises under her breath. "We just have to keep-"

"Emma," Astrid calls suddenly, prompting both sheriff and mayor to look back. "I… I think I remembered something else."

"What is it?" Emma asks, turning around fully.

Astrid shakes her head. "I mean, it doesn't really make sense, but…"

"Out with it, moth," Regina snaps, earning no less than her fourth dose of side-eye from Emma.

Astrid startles slightly. "It's just… the air during the accident. It smelled like roses." Astrid shakes her head again. "But that doesn't make sense because-"

"Roses don't grow in that part of the forest," Regina finishes, tendrils of acidic heat working their way up her stomach. Mother.

Emma lets out a loud breath, thanks Astrid again, and then turns to continue walking. "Just because it smelled like roses-"

"You have any other leads to go on, Emma?" Regina interrupts tersely. "Because the way I'm looking at it, that's two checks in the Cora column and none anywhere else."

"But it doesn't make sense."

"None of this makes any damn sense, Emma. But Mother is all we have to go on and so if you ask me, that's where we go."

"She's not the only thing," Emma argues. "We have Gold's connection theory and we still need to talk to Tink about that. Don't get ahead of yourself just yet. We don't want to assume anything."

"I'm not assuming anything. I'm going off what both Robin and Astrid have said and I what I know myself. I _feel_ it, Emma. I feel like Mother is involved in this and until I find something that solidly tells me otherwise, that's what I'm going to let myself believe," Regina insists as they reach the bug.

Emma sighs and leans against the driver's side door. "I don't doubt you. I don't. I just can't see how tying this to Cora would be possible. There's too many buts."

"Well, then I guess we should go kick them," Regina replies, yanking open the passenger door.

Emma doesn't look convinced as she slides into the car, but she doesn't argue. "Okay, so where to now?"

"My vault," Regina answers. "Of all the books I've got down there, there's bound to be some answers somewhere."

* * *

There aren't any answers, as it turns out. Four hours spent scouring over dusty tomes and dead languages and nothing to show for it. Regina had spent most of her time looking for how to send magic across realms or how the effects and feel of magic change after death. Nothing. Emma, on the other hand, had insisted on the soulmate angle and had just as much success. Apparently being tied to someone on a soul-level isn't something that's been studied or experimented with a whole lot.

Either way, by the time Regina leaves her vault and returns to the hospital, her head is pounding and her temper is thin. Maybe Robin's right. Maybe she does get cranky when she hasn't eaten.

She opens his door without preamble, craving his calming presence and soothing touch. "Hey, sorry I took so long," she apologizes, peeling off her coat and dropping it onto the chair next to his bed. "Emma's not very good at reading languages other than English." She leans down to press a kiss to his lips, but Robin shies away, out of her reach.

Regina blinks and shifts her attention from his mouth to his eyes. She's met with confusion and bewilderment. Her heart sinks.

"I'm sorry, I think you must have me confused with someone else," Robin says cautiously, eyeing her with curiosity.

Fuck.

"Robin, it's me," she tries, fisting her hands to keep them from shaking.

He looks back her blankly.

"Regina," she continues, hoping her name will work as a trigger like it did last time.

No such luck.

"I'm sorry, but you must be in the wrong room," Robin insists.

Regina shakes her head. "No, I'm not. Robin, it's me Regina. Your girlfriend." Nothing. "Your soulmate."

Robin cocks his head to the side for a moment and then realization floods into his eyes, face falling. "Regina," he whispers in shock. "Of course. Oh my god, love, I'm sorry. I don't know what just happened."

She wants to say it's fine. She wants to just ignore it and brush it under the rug like last time, but something is tugging at her, telling her that everything might be very wrong. "It's alright," she murmurs, slowly going to the door. "I'm going to… I'm going to find a doctor, okay?" She doesn't wait for an answer, but walks briskly down the hall, stopping when she sees Dr. Baker near the front desk.

"Dr. Baker, you need to see Robin," Regina insists, grabbing his arm and tugging gently. "Something's wrong." She resists the urge to sprint back to his room, but soon enough she's there, bursting through with the same sense of urgency with which she had left.

Robin smiles at the pair when they enter. "Hi, Dr. Baker," he greets before shifting his gaze to Regina. "And…" He stares at her for a long moment before smiling again. "Regina."

She wants to smile back, but the panic sitting in her throat won't let her. She looks at Dr. Baker. "He didn't know who I was."

The doctor nods slowly before taking a step closer to the bed. "Robin, I'm going to ask you some questions, alright? Please don't be offended by their simplicity, it's just so I can get a baseline for things."

Robin nods, seemingly unphased by what's going on.

"Okay, let's start with your name."

"Robin of Locksley," he replies simply. "But I'm better known as Robin Hood, I suppose."

"And who is this?" Dr. Baker asks, pointing to Regina.

Robin smiles. "Regina."

Dr. Baker nods. "How many children do you have, Robin?"

Robin's smiles falters, brow furrowing. "O-one?" he guesses, looking to Regina.

She takes a deep shaky breath, heart hammering in her chest. Her world just always has to fall apart, doesn't it?.

"And… and Regina has… o-one?" Robin continues after a moment. She nods, bringing a hand to her mouth. "So… so that makes two. I have two children."

Dr. Baker nods again. "What are your children's names?"

Robin rubs his forehead, face scrunched in concentration. "My… my son's name is…" He takes a deep breath as he thinks, the silence stretching tighter and tighter like a rubber band. The clock is the only sound that breaks the quiet. Tick, tick, tick…

"Roland!" he exclaims suddenly, extending his arm out toward them. "My son's name is Roland."

Regina blinks rapidly. She can feel the tears pooling in her eyes. This isn't happening, this isn't happening-

"And Regina's son?" Dr. Baker prompts.

Robin's face falls again and he drops his arm back to the bed. He looks toward Regina, the tears in his eyes matching her own. He shakes his head, his mouth making the shape of various letter sounds as he searches for the answer. Regina opens her own mouth to help, slowly drawing out Henry's name until it registers.

"Henry!" Robin exclaims just as she gets past the 'r' sound. His energy drops quickly though and he repeats, "Henry," with a cracked voice, jaw opening and closing as he continues to look at Regina. "His- his name is Henry," he says again, voice dropping to a whisper. "I… I knew it. Regina, I… I did…"

She goes to him then, tears falling down her cheeks in earnest. "I know you did," she whispers, taking his hand and holding it tight to her chest. "I know."

"Robin, how old is Roland?" Dr. Baker asks after a moment.

Robin shakes his head and a few tears slip down his own cheeks. Regina squeezes his hand, silently begging him to remember. "I don't know," he finally admits in a whisper. "I can't… wait, three? Is he three?"

Regina sniffs and shakes her head. "Five."

Robin closes his eyes and leans his head back against the headboard. "I'm sorry, love. I'm sorry," he apologizes, brow furrowed tightly. She shakes her head, even though he can't see it, and sits on the edge of the bed, bringing a hand up to stroke his cheek. "It's okay, it's okay," she whispers.

"How old is Henry?" Dr. Baker asks and Regina looks up at him, slightly angry.

"Stop it," she demands. "Can't you see he's upset?"

"It's the final question, I promise."

Regina swallows and nods. "Robin, how old is Henry?" she asks gently.

He thinks for a moment before opening his eyes, his gaze so lost Regina doesn't even know where to begin to guide him. "Twelve?" he guesses hopelessly, voice more of a breath than a sound.

More tears slide down both their faces as Regina shakes her head slowly. "Fourteen."

Robin deflates and starts to apologize again, but Regina stops him, holding his head tightly against her. "Don't apologize. It's not your fault," she whispers, dropping a kiss to the top of his head. She looks up at Dr. Baker. "What's happening?"

The doctor shakes his head, rubbing his chin. "I'm not sure yet. It's… interesting, to say the least. I'll have to run some tests, get some more readings. This is certainly unexpected."

Regina nods, trying swallow but finding her throat dry. "It happened before," she murmurs, Robin's hand squeezing hers tightly.

"It did?" Dr. Baker asks in surprise.

She nods. "Earlier today, I left to walk the boys out, but I forgot my phone in here so I came back to get it and he… he didn't recognize me then, either."

"You said your name," Robin adds absently. "I had no idea who you were, but then you said your name and… it was like someone poured a bucket of cold water on my head. Everything came crashing back to me."

Dr. Baker nods gravely. "I wish I could give you answers, but I just can't at the moment. Regina, if you could give us a moment so I can-"

"No," Regina interrupts, gripping Robin's hand tighter. "I'm not leaving. The last time I left, he forgot me. I'm not- no. No, I'm staying."

"It'll only be for a few moments," Dr. Baker tries.

"No."

The doctor sighs, but nods, a look of understanding crossing his face. "Alright. I'm going to consult Dr. Whale on this. Maybe together, we can come up with some guesses." He turns to go, but looks back at Regina. "Have you been feeling better, Regina?"

She nods, Robin's hand going to her knee. "I feel completely fine."

Dr. Baker exhales and shakes his head, leaving without another word.

When the door closes, silence settles over the pair for a long moment before Robin murmurs, "I'm sorry, Regina."

She stands and points a finger at him. "Do not apologize for this."

"But I _am_ sorry," Robin insists, sitting up straighter. "It's not like I don't remember because I _do_. But it's like the information is there in my brain, I just can't get to it. I need a… a spark or something to remind me. Like your name. That worked the first time."

"But not this time," Regina reminds him, dropping her finger.

"No," Robin agrees sullenly. "But when you said you were my soulmate, that worked."

"And yet, you still didn't remember Roland or Henry." Regina paces to the end of his bed, chewing on her thumb nail. She turns back around to face him.

Robin frowns. "I remembered everything about you, though. Once I remembered you, that is."

"But it took you longer with the boys. You didn't remember everything about them all at once."

"No. I knew _of_ them, I guess, but I couldn't get to the specifics. There was something… blocking it in my brain."

"And now?" Regina asks. "Do you remember everything about Roland and Henry now?"

Robin furrows his brow. "I'm not sure. Ask me a question."

Regina rubs her forehead. That migraine behind her eye is getting worse. "Okay, uh… what's Henry's favorite subject in school?"

Robin tilts his head to the side. "Well… it _was_ English, but I think he said just last week he's starting to take a fancy to his civics class."

Regina nods. "He did say that."

"Ask me another."

Regina exhales. "Alright, what's Roland's favorite color?"

Robin smirks. "That's a trick question. His favorite color is the rainbow."

Regina returns his smile half-heartedly. "Okay, so you remember stuff about them now." She sits on the end of his bed, hand finding his blanket-covered foot. "What about other stuff, though? Like, where do we hide the spare key to the front door?"

"You keep trying to trick me, love," Robin answers with a smile. "There isn't a spare key to the front door, but there is one to the back door. It's under the one flower pot on the back porch."

Regina squeezes his foot and licks her lips. "It seems you're all here now," she murmurs, eyes dropping from his.

"Indeed," Robin agrees, wiggling his toes just to get a smile out of her, she knows. He gets a miniscule half-grin and a tear sliding down Regina's nose for his efforts. "Hey, none of that," he orders softly, wincing thanks to broken ribs as he leans forward to grasp her hand.

Regina sniffs and tilts her head back to get any more moisture that might escape her eyes. "Sorry," she apologizes. "I'm trying not to."

"It'll be alright, my love," Robin reassures her, running his thumb across her knuckles.

"Don't say that," Regina demands, pulling her hand free from his. "Because you don't know that. You can't."

"I do, though. I have faith in you," Robin insists with a tender smile.

"Maybe you should have less," Regina sighs, standing up. "I haven't found anything useful yet."

"That doesn't mean you won't," he argues. "Don't give up."

"I told you I hate hope speeches," Regina grumbles, no real irritation to her voice. She needs a drink. Or a hot bath. Or a twenty-four hour long nap. Or all three.

"This isn't a hope speech," Robin counters. "This is me loving you and believing in you. And maybe what's happening has nothing to do with magic at all. Maybe my brain's just messed up from being slammed into a car. It could all be up to the doctors."

Regina shakes her head. "I doubt it. This has magic written all over it."

"Well, then I guess it's a good thing my girlfriend is a magic expert," Robin quips.

Regina smiles sadly, shoulders drooping as she exhales, all energy gone for the day. She meets Robin's calm gaze with tired eyes and shrugs helplessly. "I can't lose you," she murmurs hoarsely.

Robin's own shoulders deflate then and he reaches out a hand, tugging her to him when she grasps his fingers. "You won't, my love," he promises, shifting over so she can curl up on the bed beside him. "I'm still here. I'm not going anywhere."

She nods against his chest, but she's betrayed by her white knuckled grip on his hospital gown. She doesn't have enough fight left to deal with this. Robin's here and breathing and she relishes in the sound of his heart beating steady beneath her ear, but it's not enough anymore. Him being alive means nothing if he doesn't remember her, if he doesn't remember their life and their sons. Yes, she'd much rather have him breathing and unable to remember her than dead and knowing her, but now that the former is her reality, she nearly laughs at how cruel fate can be. She thought she had lost him three days ago. Now she has him and is losing him again. And how quickly? How long will it be before he doesn't remember her at all? They could have merely days until he's lost to her forever.

She presses herself closer against his side, his grip around her waist tightening. "I love you," she whispers, turning her nose to his chest to breath him in.

"And I you, my love," Robin answers, fingers stroking through her hair. "Even if I don't remember I do, know that my heart is yours. Always."

Regina closes her eyes, all attempts to drown herself in his scent and touch failing. She's losing him. And she can't stop it.

* * *

Henry's waiting for her in the kitchen when she gets home four hours later, questions of Robin and updates and new information spewing from his lips. She doesn't even try to mask the misery on her face as she enters the kitchen, knowing he'll see through any facade anyway. She drops her keys on the counter and shrugs off her coat, tossing it carelessly on the back of a chair. She still needs that drink, but turning to alcohol in front her son probably wouldn't be a wise parenting decision.

"I take it you had a rough day," Henry comments, questions thankfully ceasing for the time being.

Regina nods as she leans against the counter, rubbing the back of her neck with both hands. "Very rough. And very long," she confirms sullenly. "I hope yours was the opposite."

Henry nods. "Yeah, we had a good day. Hook took us to the docks and on his ship. You know how much Roland loves to watch the boats. He was beside himself all day. I think it helped keep his mind off Robin."

"Good," Regina sighs. At least that is one positive thing that happened today. "Did you eat dinner?"

"Yep. Mom took us to Granny's."

"Should I even ask if there was anything remotely healthy consumed?"

Henry grins, all the answer she needs.

"Is Roland bouncing off the walls from sugar?" she asks, tired at just the thought of wrangling an energetic five-year-old into bed.

"No, he's actually been pretty good. He got into the bath no problem and now he's in his room reading and waiting for you to tuck him in," Henry replies.

Regina blinks in surprise. "He… he took a bath? _You_ gave him a bath? And the house isn't flooded?"

Henry puffs out his chest. "Didn't you hear? I'm big brother of the year. No fuss, no tears. He was washed, dried, and pajamaed within an hour."

Regina shakes her head, smiling in disbelief at her wonderful son. "I should hire you as official Roland Caregiver. It would save me and Robin a world of trouble every night."

Henry smiles but then frowns. "Speaking of Robin, is he okay? You were at the hospital this afternoon a lot longer than I thought you would be."

Regina rubs her eyes and exhales. It's pointless to lie to Henry or even attempt a half-truth. He sees right through her every time. It's infuriating, really. Both Henry and Robin can see through any mask, any defense that she tries to put up. "He's… not good," she settles on, dropping her hands to the counter. "There's been some more… complications."

"What kind of complications?"

Regina licks her lips and then delves into the whole tale, from the first time Robin forgot her to the second, Henry listening with rapt attention through it all.

"Well. I guess we found the effects of the magic," he comments when she's finished. He twists his mouth to the side in thought, brows furrowed together. "Have you kissed him?"

Regina looks up in surprise. "Kissed him?"

"Yeah, True Love's Kiss," Henry elaborates with a 'duh' tone of voice. "It breaks any curse."

Regina rubs her forehead. "Yes, I've kissed him. Before and after this memory thing started happening."

"Huh. That's weird," Henry observes. "You'd think that'd be the solution."

"Maybe this isn't a curse," Regina replies.

"What else would it be? Memory curses are a dime a dozen around here."

Regina musters a smile and reaches across the counter, placing her hand on top of her son's. "I don't know, Henry. I'm going to keep looking, but at this point, I just want to put my children to bed and then go to sleep myself. It's been a very long day."

Henry nods in understanding and twists his hand around so he can squeeze her fingers. "It'll be alright, Mom. We'll figure this out. And until then, I'll be right there helping you. Whether it's taking care of Roland or looking through old dusty books, whatever you need. Just ask."

Regina smiles tiredly before pushing herself up from the counter and coming around to hug her son. "Thank you, sweetheart. You have no idea how much I appreciate your help through all this. I don't know how I got so lucky to have you."

Henry squeezes her tightly. "I love you, Mom. And so does Robin, whether he remembers it or not."

Regina takes a deep breath against Henry's hair before kissing his forehead. "I love you too. Now go get a shower and get ready for bed. Lights out at ten."

Henry nods, kisses her cheek, and then scurries up the stairs, bathroom bound.

Regina takes a moment alone in the kitchen, pressing her palms against the cool surface of the counter. Her back aches and her feet hurt and her heart stings. She still needs that bath and that twenty-four hour nap, but first, she has a five-year-old who needs to be tucked in. She kicks her heels off by the kitchen table, uncaring that they're out of place for the night, and then heads up the stairs. She reaches Roland's room just as Henry turns the shower on, the splattering of water hitting tile sounding from down the hall.

The bedside lamp is still on, but Roland certainly is not. He's curled up in bed, thumb in his mouth, stuffed monkey under his arm, fast asleep. Regina walks quietly over and gently pulls his thumb from between his lips. She and Robin have been trying to get him to break that habit. It may look cute when he's sleeping, but years of orthodontic work down the road take some of the endearment off.

She runs her fingers through his curls, still a little damp around the edges, and leans down to press a kiss to his forehead. "Sweet dreams, my little knight," she breathes, reaching over to turn the lamp off. Just before she turns the knob, a tiny voice stops her.

"R'gina?" Roland mumbles, rubbing his eyes with tiny fists.

"It's me, sweetheart. Go back to sleep," she whispers, stroking his hair again.

He blinks up at her in sleepy confusion before reaching out a hand toward her. "Snuggle?"

Well, it's impossible to say no to that. Regina settles onto the bed as Roland scoots over, tucking himself under her arm as soon as she's situated. He's warm and fuzzy against her, still fresh and clean from his bath. She drops a kiss to the top of his head and snuggles deeper into his pillows.

"Did you have fun today?" she asks softly, hand running up and down his arm in a soothing manner.

Roland nods against her chest. "Captain Killian took us to see the boats," he yawns. "And he let me steer his ship."

"Did he?" Regina responds mildly. More likely than not, Roland got to 'steer' Hook's ship as the pirate himself kept a hand on the wheel. He's done the same with Henry before.

"Uh huh," Roland yawns again. "And we walked on the beach and Miss Emma took us… to Granny's… for din…"

His storytelling is cut off by a soft snore, her little knight having firmly landed back in dream world.

Regina continues to run her hand up and down his arm, cuddling him just a little closer than before. It will break his heart. Absolutely destroy his precious little heart to find out his father, the man he loves and idolizes more than anyone in the world, doesn't remember him. She has to find a solution. If not for herself, then for Roland. Her sweet, sweet boy who only sees the best in people and can find joy in any situation. He needs his father and Robin needs his son. A selfish part her says she needs both of them too. Their family needs both of them. And so she'll find an answer. For Robin and for Roland and for Henry. For herself too, but most importantly for their family. Their family is too precious to forget.

Regina drops one more kiss to the top of Roland's head and then carefully slides out from beneath him. She turns off the light and quietly walks to the door, stealing one last glance at the little boy stepping out into the hallway, closing the door behind her.

She doesn't take a bath. She doesn't even take a shower. She barely takes her clothes off and manages to tug her pajamas on before collapsing into bed, soft pillows and a fluffy comforter and too much space quickly pulling her to the start of that long, long nap.

* * *

 **Reviews make me smile!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm back! Yay! Sorry it's taken so long to get this updated- with finals week and then all the end-of-school stuff for my sisters, I didn't have a lot of time to write. And now my laptop has been acting up again _and_ I start work tomorrow, sooooo I can't promise updates will be any quicker. But for those of you sticking with me, thank you!**

 **So I know some terrible things have happened to our beloved Robin on the show since I last updated, but I'm not going to abandon him or OQ or this story. He now lives on in fandom and with people who will give him the stories and relationships he truly deserves.**

 **Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and given me motivation to keep going forward with this- I almost gave up, but knowing people want to read more of this has kept me writing. So please, please, please drop me a review- it's the only way I know you like or don't like the story!**

 **Anyway, without further ado:**

* * *

She's woken the next morning by the annoying chirp of her phone, ringing relentlessly on the nightstand. Regina groans and rolls over, reaching for the offending device blindly, her eyelids still too heavy to open. She fumbles a little with the buttons in her sleepiness, but she manages to answer before the ringing stops.

"Regina Mills" she yawns, pulling the comforter up next to her cheek.

"Regina! Good morning!" Tinkerbell answers, much too chipper for this hour of the morning.

Regina slides a hand up to her forehead and finally opens her eyes to see the time on the clock- 5:17. Damn fairies. "Tink, what are you doing up this early?" she yawns again, blinking away any lingering sleepiness.

"I have soup kitchen duty," the fairy explains. "Gotta make sure the less fortunate of Storybrooke have a hot breakfast."

"How charitable. I take it you didn't wake me up just to discuss your volunteer work."

"Oh, no, but I wanted to call you now because otherwise I'd forget. Emma mentioned you two needed to talk to me, but she and I keep playing phone tag, so I thought I'd try you."

"Thoughtful," Regina grumbles. Her alarm wasn't set to go off for another 45 minutes. Tink owes her a coffee. "And did Emma happen to mention just what we want to talk to you about?"

"Something about Robin, I think. Speaking of, how is he? It's terrible what happened."

Regina rolls onto her side, looking at the empty pillow of the man in question. "Well, to be honest, he's not good. And that's what we wanted to talk to you about. We think you might be able to help us."

"With what?"

"I take it you've heard about the whole magic thing?"

"Uh huh."

Regina resists the urge to roll her eyes. Nothing stays a secret in this town. "Well, Emma and I are kinda stuck. We haven't been able to figure out what type of magic attacked Robin or who it came from. Astrid said she's never encountered it before and I haven't either. Gold said he thinks whatever magic caused this wants to… connect Robin and me somehow."

"What does that mean?"

Regina huffs a laugh. "We were hoping you'd know."

"Hmm… well, you're already connected."

"That's what I said."

"Did the magic affect you, too? Or just Robin?"

"It knocked me out for awhile, but nothing permanent. Nothing like what's happening to Robin."

"What's happening to Robin?"

Regina sighs and runs a hand down her face. What _is_ happening to Robin? Memory loss would be the simple answer, but it seems more than that. He hasn't just forgotten- he forgets and then remembers and then forgets again. And doesn't seem like a typical memory curse with a typical cure. No number of True Love's Kisses have made any difference.

"I'm… not sure exactly," Regina admits. "He's… forgetting things. It's like whenever I leave the room, he forgets everything about us and our life and who he is beyond his name. He didn't remember me or Roland or Henry, but he knew his name. And it seems to be getting worse. The first time it happened, all I had to say was my name and then he remembered. But the next time, it took more than that and even after her remembered me, he still didn't remember Henry and Roland, at least not completely."

Tink's silent on the other end for awhile, but then she simply goes, "Huh."

Regina scowls. "I was hoping for something a little more helpful, Tink."

"No, no, I'm just thinking…"

A pause. "About?" Regina presses.

"Well, I'm assuming you've kissed him since he's woken up from his coma, right?"

"Yes. More than once."

"But it's had no effect on his condition."

"Clearly."

"Okay… hmm… alright, I don't… I don't know for certain, but I think… no, I won't speculate. I'm going to look into some stuff and then I'll get back to you, okay?"

"I'm desperate for answers, Tink," Regina sighs.

"I know you are. And I'll work as fast as I can, but I don't want to tell you anything I'm unsure of. So once I'm done with the breakfast shift at the soup kitchen, I'll dive right in."

"Thank you, Tink, I appreciate it."

"No problem. I'll let you know as soon as I find anything. And Regina?"

"Yes?"

"I'm really sorry this is happening."

Regina exhales and closes her eyes. "Me too," she murmurs. They exchange goodbyes and then Regina hits the 'end call' button, dropping the phone onto her stomach. What day is it? Monday. The start of a new week. She has to go to work and the boys have to go to school. Technically. No one would probably fault her for calling in a personal day and keeping the boys home, and she's extremely tempted to do just that, but it probably wouldn't be the best in the long run. The boys need normalcy and if she's being honest, so does she. So work and school it is, even if she won't be able to focus on anything as pointless as tax reports and budget meetings.

Regina glances at the clock. 5:23. She _could_ try to go back to sleep for the next half hour or so, but what would be the point? She'd just stew and think and worry and not get a lick of shut eye. Right. Shower it is, then. Shower and then coffee, breakfast, wake the boys, get them ready, send them off to school, a normal Monday morning. Well, normal aside from the fact that Robin usually wakes the boys and Robin usually sees them to the bus stop and Robin usually has a travel mug filled with steaming coffee waiting for her as she heads out the door. But yeah. This morning is totally normal.

* * *

Roland is just a ball of questions as soon as he opens his eyes.

"Regina, how come you got home so late last night?"

"Regina, why do you look so worried?"

"Regina, is Papa more better yet?"

"Regina, do you think Papa would like it if I made him a card in school today?"

"Regina, can we see Papa after school?"

He asks that last one as she's pouring milk over his cereal and she almost spills some on the counter. "Uh, not today, sweetheart," she stammers, popping the lid back on the jug of milk.

She can practically hear his pout even with her back turned. "Why not?" he asks miserably.

"Because…"

"Because we need to get stuff for Operation Bumblebee after school," Henry chimes in as he butters his toast. "Remember? We need to get books and pencils and-"

"I remember," Roland interrupts, surprisingly surly. "But why can't we see Papa too? It won't take us all afternoon to get that stuff."

"No, but once we get it, we need to wrap it and decorate it and make it look super cool," Henry explains effortlessly. "And we want it to look really good, right? So we need to take our time and be careful."

Roland sighs dramatically as Regina sets his cereal down in front of him. "Hey, none of that," she admonishes lightly, raking her fingers through his hair. "Papa needs time to rest and relax so he can get better. If we're there, then he'll get too excited and he won't be able to settle."

"Like how you say there's no wrestling before bedtime because then I'll get too wound up?" Roland asks as he forlornly reaches for his spoon.

"Exactly," Regina agrees, bending down to kiss the top of his head. "So how about today, you and Henry work on getting the stuff you need for Operation Bumblebee and then we'll see about visiting Papa tomorrow so you can give him everything. Sound good?"

Roland sighs, but nods, catching a dribble of milk before it can roll down his chin and onto his shirt.

"Good," Regina chuckles, combing her fingers through his curls again. "Now, eat your cereal. The bus will be here in ten minutes."

At that, Roland picks up the pace, shoveling Fruit Loops into his mouth at a speed just past polite.

Regina heads back to the counter and grabs the coffee pot, pouring the rest of the brew into a travel mug. She sets the pot back in the machine just as Henry comes up beside her.

"You going to visit Robin again today?" he asks quietly, rinsing off his toast plate.

Regina nods. "Yeah. I need to see how much worse his memory has gotten since last night. Try to figure out how quickly the magic is going to affect him."

Henry nods. "Well, for your sake and Roland's, I hope it's slow."

Regina half-smiles and pulls Henry's head closer to kiss his temple. "I hope so too." She glances at the clock on the wall. "Seven minutes til the bus gets here. Go brush your teeth."

Henry obeys, nearly colliding with Roland as the kindergartener pushes back his chair, empty cereal bowl in hand. Regina takes his dishes and then sends him to brush his teeth as well, hoping their facade of a normal morning will hold through the rest of the day.

* * *

As predicted, Regina can't focus on much while she's at work. If she's not checking her phone every five minutes to see if Tink's contacted her, she's staring out the window trying to come up with a potential answer on her own. Twice she spaced out during a meeting, thoughts too consumed with what ifs and maybes to focus on anything as trivial as zoning violations. Her secretary had to say her name repeatedly to get her attention, she ignored phone calls because she didn't realize the phone was ringing, and she missed lunch entirely, unaware that her break had come and gone until her stomach growled an hour later. She would have completely forgotten to pick up Roland from kindergarten at 2:30, but Will had texted her and volunteered to take the boy for the afternoon with a promise to meet up with Henry to work on Operation Bumblebee, so thank god for Merry Men and their convenient timing.

And through it all, Tink still hasn't reached out. Neither has Emma or David, but seeing as the nature of the investigation is strictly magical at this point, she's really not expecting anything to come out of the sheriff's department. Still, anything would be better than sitting at her desk chair, tapping pencils and twiddling her thumbs.

It's at half past three, when she's missed her fourth phone call in the last two hours, that Regina decides to call it quits for the day. She's no use at her office with her mind in a whirlwind and just sitting around is helping no one, not the citizens of Storybrooke, not the investigation, and certainly not Robin. And besides, she hasn't seen him yet today. She's entitled to a little extra time to care for him, whether he remembers her or not.

So knowing Roland's safe with Will and Henry's safe with Emma, Regina leaves the office for the day and makes a promise to herself that she'll work doubly hard tomorrow to make up for all her shortcomings today. She gets to the hospital fifteen minutes later, greeting the front desk receptionist with a polite smile as she heads for Robin's room.

When she reaches his door, she hesitates. He's not going to know who she is. She's fairly certain of that, but how much is she going to tell him before he remembers? And how is she going to jog his memory without frightening him? Having a strange woman come into your room claiming to be your soulmate and spouting nonsense about pixie dust and tattoos would probably be pretty startling.

Right. So, gentle. Subtle. Two things Regina's never been very good at.

She knocks first, it's only polite since she's not currently on a first name basis with the person occupying the room, and then opens the door, poking her head in with a cautious smile.

Robin is sitting up, quite the improvement from yesterday, and his oxygen tubes are gone, leaving only the cuts and scratches on his face as signs that anything is wrong. He smiles at her politely, curiously, ever the gentleman. "Hello," he greets pleasantly, any glimmer of recognition gone from his eyes.

Regina's heart sinks, but she steps into the room anyway. "Hi," she returns, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She feels shy all of a sudden, like she shouldn't be here, like she doesn't belong here, and it's stupid because it's _Robin,_ and if she belongs anywhere, it's by his side.

"Can I help you?" he asks pleasantly, politely, after a moment.

Regina startles slightly, realizing she's been staring at him and that's probably really creepy from his point of view. "Oh, no, I'm sorry, I- uh, I'm being incredibly rude," she stammers, somehow managing to find some mayoral composure. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Regina Mills and I'm the mayor of Storybrooke."

Robin's eyebrows quirk up as he smiles. "The mayor, huh? What did I do to be honored with a visit by our lovely leader?"

Regina catches her smile before it grows too unguarded. Typical Robin. Even with a magically affected memory, he still manages to flirt with her. "I visit the hospital every now and then," she half-lies. It's the truth, she does pay visits on occasion, but that's not why she's here today. "Just to check on the patients, make sure their needs are being met."

"Well, that's very kind of you," Robin praises, head tilting to the side as he studies her.

Regina shifts her weight, crosses and uncrosses her arms. Why is this awkward? They've never been awkward before. From the moment they met, conversation flowed, smooth and witty, topics neverending. And now… now he's staring at her, much like she had been looking at him just moments before. "What?" she asks self-consciously, his gaze still as penetrating as always.

Robin blinks, shakes his head. "I'm sorry, it's just… you seem very familiar. Have we… have we met before?"

She could cry. She could just break down into tears right then and there and not feel bad about it. But she won't. She won't because that would most definitely be startling and unexplainable in their present knowledge of each other. So instead, she plays it off: "I doubt I'd ever forget meeting you." It's flirty (he was the one who originally said it, after all), more flirty than anything they've said since opening this conversation, and it clearly catches Robin off-guard, but being the smoothtalker that he is, he doesn't miss a beat.

"Not only do I have a beautiful woman in my room, but she's also paying me compliments? I must have slipped back into my coma," he chuckles, a sound that wraps around Regina's heart and squeezes warmly.

"Hm, must be the pain meds. You're hallucinating," she tosses back and this is better. This is more like them, more familiar.

"Well, someone better tell the doctor to change my prescriptions. Don't want to end up in the psych ward."

They both laugh and Regina exhales, nerves calmed for the most part. She can do this. She just needs to focus, find something that will jog his memory. "May I sit down?" she asks.

Robin straightens. "Oh, of course! How rude of me. Please, take a seat," he insists, gesturing toward the chair she's occupied for the majority of the past forty-eight hours.

Regina shrugs off her coat, settles in against the uncomfortable plastic, and glances around the room. "So, what are you in here for? If you don't mind me asking."

Robin shrugs. "Got hit by a car on Friday night. Barrelled me right over."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"Thanks. I was out of it for a while, but the doctors said I should make a full recovery."

The doctors should learn not to count chickens, Regina thinks grimly. "That's wonderful," she fakes. "Was the driver injured?"

"I don't know," Robin answers. "When the police find them, I'll be sure to ask."

Regina _tsk_ s, plays the part of shock and pity rather well. "How awful."

"Eh," Robin shrugs again. "I was miffed about it at first, but I figure you can't control other people. And I'm not going to die or come out of this paralyzed, so in the long run, I'm not that worse for wear."

"Well that's-" An electronic chirp interrupts her and Regina jumps slightly, realizing with a flash of worry and anticipation that it's her phone. That could be Tink. That could be an answer. "I'm so sorry, give me one second…" she apologizes, fishing the device out of her pocket. Her fingers fumble over her passcode and she opens her messages with bated breath.

It's not Tink. It's Henry, sending her his obligatory text that he made it to Emma's okay followed by another one:

 _Why didn't you tell mom about Robin's memory thing?_

Oh, shit. She didn't tell Emma about Robin's memory thing. Well, that should go over great when she sees her next. She shoots back a quick reply of, _Busy day didn't have a chance I'll talk to you both tonight,_ and then tucks her phone back in her pocket.

"I'm sorry, that was my son," Regina explains, looking back up at Robin.

He tilts his head, interested. "You have a son?"

 _So do you._ "Uh huh. Two. Henry is fourteen and Roland is five."

Robin blinks, brows furrowing, mouth frowning. "...Roland?" he repeats absently, eyes going blank.

Regina's heart leaps into her throat. This is it. This is her in. "Yeah, he's a sweet boy. Curls and dimples that could make anyone melt," she rushes, hoping, praying something will catch and stick in his brain.

Robin's eyes fall to the floor, perplexed. "Huh," is all he says, eyes swirling with something unreadable.

"Would you like to see a picture?" Regina asks, a bit too intensely as she takes out her phone again. She pulls up a picture of their boys from the other week, both holding up the rinds of watermelon slices like smiles. She doesn't wait for an answer, not that she's expecting one- he seems thoroughly stuck in a fog of confusion- and moves over to the bed, practically shoving the phone in his face. "That's Henry," she says, pointing. "And… that's Roland."

A second.

A blink.

"Regina."

And there it is.

Robin takes a deep breath. "Regina," he repeats quietly, looking up at her.

Regina locks her phone and tosses it somewhere near his knees, breath leaving her on a thin exhale. "Yeah, it's me," she murmurs, sitting down on the bed.

"Why didn't you say something sooner?" Robin asks, taking her hand. He laces their fingers together and it doesn't escape Regina that he trembles as he reaches for her.

"I didn't want to freak you out," she sighs. "Having someone you don't know burst into your hospital room and claim to be your girlfriend would probably be pretty startling."

Robin looks at her miserably. "I'm sorry, my love."

"Stop apologizing for this. I don't want to hear it anymore."

"But I feel awful. Knowing you have to go through this? That when you leave today, I won't remember you tomorrow and we'll have to do this dance all over again? I wish I could just… restart my brain or something. Anything that would make this stop," Robin says in frustration.

"I know it's hard," Regina sighs. "But I'm working on answers. Tink seemed to think she might be onto something when I talked to her this morning. I've been waiting all day to hear from her, but nothing yet."

"What did she have to say when you talked to her this morning?"

"She didn't want to speculate. But she seemed to be interested in the fact that I've kissed you after your memory started to be affected, but nothing changed."

Robin tilts his head. "Huh, that's true. I didn't think of that before. I mean, in the past, memory curses were broken with True Love's Kiss. You'd think… it would work this time, too."

Regina's eyes snap up to meet his. "Just because a kiss didn't work, doesn't mean-"

"That's not what I meant, love," Robin hurries to interrupt. "I just meant a kiss isn't the solution to this problem. I didn't mean to imply that what we have isn't true love." He smiles and brings her hand to his lips, presses a kiss to her knuckles. "I couldn't love you truer if I tried."

Regina rolls her eyes, but smiles all the same. God, he's such a sap. She leans in and sweetly presses her lips to his, wishing their problem was so easily solved as a simple kiss. She drops kisses to his nose and brow, thumb rubbing across his very stubbly jaw. "You need to shave," she grimaces, running her fingers through his scruff.

"I thought you liked my beard," Robin replies with faux indignation.

"I do, but not when you're on the verge of looking like a lumberjack," she chuckles, scratching his jaw lightly.

"A lumberjack? Milady, I would never cut down trees for a living," he gasps dramatically. "Think of the wooden humanity!"

Regina rolls her eyes again, laughing. "I'm sure August would greatly appreciate you standing up for his people."

"Well, if I don't, then who will?"

"Exactly."

Robin chuckles and untangles his fingers from hers, moving his arm to gently tug her to him until she's curled against his side, legs resting on the bed beside his, her shoes left on the floor. "How are the boys?" he asks, hand coasting up and down her arm in slow, soothing passes.

"They're… alright," Regina answers tentatively. "Worried. But, I sent them to school today to keep their minds off everything."

"Where are they now?"

"Will offered to take Roland for the afternoon and I thought that'd be nice for him. Keep him distracted. And Henry's with Emma who… is probably pretty pissed at me right now."

"Emma mad at you? Why?"

"I forgot to tell her about your memory thing and I'm assuming Henry brought it up thinking she already knew," Regina explains. "Needless to say she didn't, and so now she's probably mad I kept something like that from her, unintentional as it was."

"It was an accident," Robin dismisses. "She might be annoyed, but I doubt she'll be angry with you for long."

"Let's hope so."

Robin starts tracing nonsensical patterns on her side, his touch dulled through the fabric of her top. "Aside from that, how was your day? What'd you do?"

Regina snorts. "Not much. I went into the office, but-"

Her phone interrupts them, ringing and vibrating somewhere around her calf. She sits up and reaches down to get it, hitting the answer button just before it goes silent. "Regina Mills" she greets, settling back against Robin.

"Regina," Tink says on the other line, voice neutral, unreadable.

"Oh, thank god. I was starting to get worried," Regina sighs, free hand skirting across Robin's stomach to grasp his hand. "What did you find out?"

"Well, um, you see… it's- it's not good."

Regina squeezes Robin's fingers. "What's not good?" she asks as his arm around her tightens.

"What I found. It's, um, just… yeah. It's not good. And I think you need to meet me right away. Like, now."

"Tink-"

"I don't want to tell you over the phone. I can't, really. I have to show you."

"Alright," Regina sighs, rubbing her forehead. "Where are you?"

"The convent."

Of course. Back to the godforsaken den of the fairies. "Fine. I'll be there in five minutes," Regina says and then she hangs up, any sense of calm from the last five minutes gone.

"What'd she have to say?" Robin asks as Regina moves to stand up.

"She found something that she needs to show me," Regina replies, slipping her heels back on.

"And it's not good?"

Regina scratches her head, then smoothes out her hair. "No," she admits, shoulders rising and falling in a heavy exhale. "But that could mean a lot of things. It could just be another dead end."

Robin nods grimly. "Or it could be something worse."

"Hey," Regina admonishes gently. "Since when am I the optimist in this relationship?"

"Since you became the only one who could remember for more than five minutes that we're in a relationship," Robin states dryly.

Regina glares at him sternly. "That is _not_ the right attitude to have about this, mister."

Robin laughs shortly. "You sound like Roland." He shakes his head. "I'm sorry, my love. You're right. I need to stay positive. I'll… I'll do my best."

"That's all I ask," Regina says, bending down to kiss his forehead. "How about tomorrow, after we jog your memory, I ask David or Snow to bring the boys down so you can see them? Roland's been dying to visit again and they've put together something for Operation Bumblebee."

Robin smiles. "I'd like that."

"Then that's what we'll do," Regina declares. She moves down and captures his lips, ignoring the pang that goes through her heart knowing this isn't enough to save him. Their love isn't enough to save him. No. No, that's not true. Their love is enough. Their love is plenty and true. It's just this magic doesn't work like that. That's all it is. The type of magic. Nothing more.

She looks him in the eye for a long moment when they part, memorizing the way he looks back at her, full of recognition. "I love you," she says softly.

"I love you, too," he answers, leaning up for one more short kiss.

If only that were enough.

* * *

Regina poofs herself to the convent once she's outside the hospital, appearing inside a room she's never been in before.

"You should warn a person before you spontaneously transport yourself to their private quarters," Tink gripes from behind her.

Regina turns around to see the green fairy standing behind a wooden desk, books and papers and vials covering the top. They're in Tink's bedroom, Regina realizes- a simple, but cozy room dressed up with plants and flowers, paintings of landscapes and seascapes, and green curtains that don't exactly go with the maroon bedspread, but somehow work all the same. Very Tink.

"Sorry, but you said you needed to see me now," Regina dismisses, shrugging off her coat and tossing it on a nearby chair. "So what's up?"

Tink blows out a short breath and then turns back to her desk. "When you mentioned on the phone this morning that True Love's Kiss has had no effect on Robin's condition, I got to thinking. You two are soulmates- that's even rarer than True Love, so naturally, you'd think a kiss would be the solution to any problem."

"Yeah, well, clearly it isn't."

"But why?" Tink wonders. "That's what didn't make sense to me. True Love's Kiss is the most powerful magic of all. It should be able to break any curse."

"I've just assumed that whatever magic is causing this, it isn't… programmed, I guess, to be broken with True Love's Kiss," Regina explains.

"Well, see that's where I'm at a loss," Tink continues. "I haven't had a chance to test out the magic in Robin's room, so I'm not sure about that part, but I've been investigating this under the assumption that the magic is geared toward True Love's Kiss. And I think I've found something important."

"What's that?"

Tink picks up a vial off her desk and holds it up so Regina can see. It's half-filled with a brownish powder. "I started looking into the whole connection thing you mentioned, how Gold said this magic wants to connect you and Robin. I don't think that's true. I think whatever magic this is, it doesn't want to connect you. It wants to mess with the connection you already have."

Regina furrows her brow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Tink gestures toward a stack of books as she puts the vial down. "I was reading about soulmates. There's not much on them, but the more I read, the more curious I got." She picks up a book. "The connection between soulmates is formed at birth. Whatever one of your souls is made of, so is the other person's. After that, a soulmate connection can't be created through magic or anything. Either you're born with a soulmate, or you're not. But," she puts down the book and picks up another, "A soulmate connection _can_ be destroyed."

Regina swallows, her heart picking up speed. "That's impossible."

Tink nods. "I thought so too. I mean, how can you destroy the connection without destroying the souls? And I'm still not sure about that part, but it got me thinking that maybe that's why True Love's Kiss hasn't worked. Because your soulmate connection has been broken."

Regina shakes her head. "Tink that's… that's ridiculous," she stammers, struggling to find an argument against such a claim. "Robin and I… we're… we're soulmates," is all she manages to come up with.

"I know," Tink states grimly. "But I was hoping we could see if that's still true." She holds up the vial of brownish powder again. "Just to be sure."

Regina scoffs in disbelief. "You think… you think _Robin,_ the man with the lion tattoo, the man the pixie dust led me to, the man _you_ showed me, isn't my soulmate?"

"I think he _was_. But I think someone tampered with your souls and severed your connection," Tink theorizes. She closes her fist around the vial for a moment. When she opens her fingers, the brownish powder starts to glow a goldish green. Pixie dust. She looks up at a dumbfounded Regina. "So what do you say? Can we use some pixie dust for old time's sake?"

Regina can't really find it in herself to shake her head or nod or do anything. She stands frozen, mind racing with the terrible thought that the man she loves, the man who loves her, might no longer be hers to love. Again. Oh, how fate is a bitch. And oh, how pixie dust lies.

"Regina?" Tink says after several moments of silence.

Regina blinks, swallows, and then slowly nods. "Do it," she whispers.

Tink uncorks the vial and pours some pixie dust into her palm. She mouths some spell over top the magic powder and then tosses it into the air, letting the tiny sparkles rain down around the queen.

Regina feels the same tingling sensation she felt years ago, the dust working its way into the deepest parts of her soul. It swirls around her and above her, making the most beautiful patterns, as if showing the markings on her heart and soul. And then the dust starts to move around the room, sending a pulling sensation through Regina's veins, beckoning her to follow. And she's about to, she's about to follow it to where she knows she's destined, to Robin, but then it stops. The dust swirls around the window, darts toward the door, makes a loop around the room and then stops. A moment later, all the sparkles slowly fall to floor where they settle on the hardwood and fade away.

Regina looks up at Tink.

Tink looks back.

"That didn't happen last time," Regina states shakily.

Tink shakes her head slowly. "You had a soulmate last time."

* * *

 **Review please! :)**


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